


Unexpecting

by universeEnthusiast



Series: Unexpecting Series [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, also i kinda self projected on nath just a tiny bit, and there arent any grapic depictions of stuff but things like sex and birth are mentioned so, enjoy lmao, this is a poly fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-04-24 13:42:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 42
Words: 39,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14356674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/universeEnthusiast/pseuds/universeEnthusiast
Summary: Things had been going well for Marinette, until today.





	1. The Unexpected Results

**Author's Note:**

> so these first few chapters are a little short but they do get longer the further in we go. also i have no hecking idea how many of these will get uploaded at once or what schedule ill upload them on so bear with me.

Things had been going well for Marinette, until today.  
Papillion had been getting quieter and quieter since last year, and though there was no need to permanently retire the Ladybug mantle, there was an awful lot less weight on her shoulders about it now.  
Her parents had let her move out a few months ago, into a tiny apartment she'd bought with her savings from several years of private seamstress work and babysitting, but she knew one day she may have to go back and take over the bakery. Dreams were nice, but solid, well-established, high-demand businesses were better.  
Alya and Adrien and Nino, and even most of their old classmates from college, were about to graduate by her side, and judging by the results of their finals, with flying colours. She and Adrien had become close and she'd abandoned her childish awkwardness in favour of loving him regardless of his returns, which seemed to produce astoundingly pleasing results.  
And on their five year anniversary of being Superheroes, she and Chat Noir had finally had a good long talk about their lives and themselves and each other, and sort of become a couple. It had been an interesting night, full of revealed truths and bared souls, and a trust and caring she'd never dreamed of from Chat, not to mention from herself right back.  
This relationship with Chat had been so heart-achingly lovely. He had brought her flowers and given her the sweetest kisses and told her so many things on their patrols together. She had even wondered why she had never let him do this before. But Tikki told her not to think about the what-ifs of the past and focus on the now.  
And she'd been focusing on loving him for a month, when they'd met more nights, where they would talk and kiss and finally, after years of loving one another and weeks of being honest about that, they'd done something that might have been poorly construed in retrospect.  
They'd taken the plunge and made love.  
Without letting the other know who they were.  
Marinette, sitting on the bed and staring at the blindfolds that had made it possible in the bottom drawer of her dresser, found that she didn't regret anything about that night.  
She didn't even regret stubbornly refusing to let either know who the other was, despite that information being, honestly, way overdue, and also kind of really important now.  
What she did regret was not checking up with a doctor on her pill prescription. She'd been taking it for years for health stuff on the advice and endless support of her mother. But once she moved out she should have gone to the doctor and checked the dose, and she cursed herself for not doing so.  
Because according to the stick in her hands, she was pregnant to a man she didn’t know the name of.  
And Marinette was terrified.  
After crying silently for about five minutes and sobbing for perhaps ten more, she realised she'd be late for class. Then she realised she didn't know if she could get there in the state of terror and panic as she was.  
She had to call someone.  
She couldn't call Chat, he'd be at school and untransformed now, and she wasn't ready to talk to him about it anyway. Not until she'd figured out what she wanted to do, and how they were going to tackle this together.  
She couldn't call her parents. She couldn't face that conversation yet.  
Alya. She would call Alya.  
She dialled.


	2. Unexpected Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things were going relatively well for Adrien, he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so chapters dont switch povs per se but they will low key focus on some chracters more than others

Things were going relatively well for Adrien, he thought.  
Of course, his father was still getting sicker by the day, and that worried him, but his father had been kind of an asshole for almost ten years now, a fact which he never would have seen (or been able to remedy) if it weren't for his two best friends in the entire world, Nino and Marinette.  
With Nino it was comfy. A fist to bump and a shoulder to lean on, the occasional affectionate moment and a never-ending sense of guardianship. Nino always had his back, and was very protective when he wanted to be, and it had been him who had first sowed the much needed seeds of doubt in Adrien's mind about his father.  
But Marinette brought warmth. The way she was gentle with him, and with his alter ego. The way she brought him lunches sometimes, and remembered his birthdays. The way he knew he could always go to her when he needed a helping hand. The way she had fought his father's ministrations, when the fire in her spirit went from a gentle, warming hearth to a raging forest blaze set on freeing him from his prison of misery.  
That fire reminded him of Ladybug, who was, if only by the tiniest margin, the best thing about his life.  
After five years, she had finally agreed to let Chat Noir into her long-guarded heart, and Adrien had made sure he did everything just right so she wouldn't regret even a second of it. He was enthralled, and she seemed to be too, and not a month ago, the final of his old dreams had come true - she'd let him make love to her.  
Now, granted, it had been with blindfolds on - she hadn't been ready to know his real name yet, and while he didn't share the same reservations, he daren't impose on her comfort - it had been an incredible, mind-blowing event and he'd never regret it.  
Yes, things were looking up for Adrien, he thought as he placed his bag on the desk of one of the last of his classes that year. He would be graduating in a matter of weeks with his two best friends by his side and would be stepping into a future with them and the love of his life that he just couldn't wait to begin.  
He wondered what he'd say to her tonight when he met her for patrol as Nino took his seat beside him.  
"Morning dude," his buddy grinned.  
"Morning," the blond smiled in return.  
"Morning, boys," Alya waved. She took her usual seat in front of them.  
"Seen Marinette?" Nino asked, putting his books out on the desk.  
"No, actually." she tapped at her phone, the well-worn and faded ladybug charm dangling from a several-times retied cord from the corner of the case. Adrien made a note to buy her a replacement for her birthday. "You guys haven't heard from her either?"  
Marinette had stopped being this late to things years ago.  
All three of them suddenly felt a pang of dread as Alya's phone vibrated in her hands with a telling ringtone. Nino had made each of them a unique track, and they'd set them so that each time they called one another, they'd know instantly who was calling.  
And Marinette's song rang out clear, a declaration of emergency.  
Alya bolted out of the classroom as their stunned teacher stepped in.  
There was a painful silence, and Nino and Adrien couldn't look away from the door.  
"WHAT?" came a shriek that made their hearts stop.  
Alya said something less loud and burst into the room again.  
"Marinette's in trouble." she announced to the two boys as she grabbed her bag. "I have to get to her."  
"I'm driving," Nino shoved his books into his own.  
"What's wrong?" Adrien panicked. "What's happened to Marinette?"  
"I can't tell you in front of the class," Alya looked harrowed.  
Murmurs began to spread around the room.  
"Go." the teacher pointed to the door.  
Adrien followed his two friends, and he'd never been more terrified in his whole life than he was right then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha this cliffhanger is maybe just a tad less soft


	3. Unexpected Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya almost broke down the door to Marinette's apartment.

Alya almost broke down the door to Marinette's apartment. Nino had let her out at the curb so she could get there as fast as possible while he found a parking space.  
"Marinette?" she yelled, the fear unbidden in her tone.  
"Alya?" a quiet voice came from the lounge.  
The redhead bounded forward and found her precious friend curled in a very small ball on the floor.  
"Marinette," she knelt in front of her.  
The paler girl was shaking and silent. Her hair was down, and she hadn't changed out of her pyjamas.  
"Are you okay?" Alya put her hands on her cheeks. They were cold.  
"I don't know…" Marinette whimpered.  
"Is she here?" Nino hurried through the still open door with Adrien in tow.  
"Nino?" the blue-eyed girl asked.  
"I'm here, Mari," the gold-eyed boy knelt beside her.  
"Are you okay?" Adrien took the last place, sitting on her left.  
She looked between the three of them, stunned and unable to speak.  
"Where's the test?" Alya asked her.  
"Bathroom sink," Marinette whispered.  
"What?" Adrien asked, but their redheaded friend had already practically run into Marinette's room.  
She emerged seconds later holding, and staring at, a plastic stick.  
"Is that…?" Nino didn't finish his sentence.  
"How many have you taken?" Alya demanded in a quiet voice that made Adrien fear for his life.  
"Two," Marinette replied about as quietly. "One last night, one this morning."  
"I'm getting you more. You have to take at least three." she said.  
"Alya," Marinette hugged herself tighter. "They'll all show up positive, I know it… I feel it."  
The redhead closed her eyes and put a hand on her mouth, grimly accepting of this answer despite very clearly wanting to fight it.  
"I don't know what's going on," Adrien swallowed some air.  
"Show me the test, Alya," Nino frowned.  
She complied. Nino closed his eyes in response and Adrien watched his fists clench and his face screw up in anger.  
"Who did this to you, Mari?" Nino adopted Alya's tone and Adrien thought his heart might stop in fear.  
"I can't tell you," she whimpered, covering her face with her hands.  
"What do you mean you can't tell us?!" Alya cried out, coming around the couch to squat in front of Marinette again. "What, you don't know who he was?!"  
"Marinette, if someone-" Nino growled.  
"No, no, I know him I swear!" she began to sob. "Please, he's just… he's hard to get hold of…"  
"Someone please tell me what the fuck is going on here?!" Adrien yelled, throwing his hands up in the air.  
"Marinette's pregnant!" Alya yelled back, and her distress became instantaneously understandable.  
Marinette burst into violent tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you thought i was not going to lay on the poly themes this thick this early, you had another thing coming my friends. also im gonna put up like the first five chapters i think bc i have all 42 of them here waiting to be posted. well see


	4. Unexpected Support

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of thoughts ran through the entire assembly of minds present.

Adrien pulled Marinette into a hug on the couch as she sobbed, dumbfounded. He had never encountered anything remotely like this before, but he knew she needed comfort, and he wanted to provide. He wanted to do something, anything to avoid the emotions coming to a boiling point behind the barrier in his brain.  
Nino was pacing behind the lounge.  
"Ok, it's up." Alya called from the bathroom.  
"What's it say?" Nino barked.  
"Positive." Alya tossed it into the bin.  
Marinette whimpered again and Adrien clenched his teeth. A lot of thoughts ran through the entire assembly of minds present.  
"Marinette." Alya knelt before the couch and put her hands on her friend's leg. "Are you keeping it?"  
"Yes," the black-haired girl said very softly. "I… I couldn't go through with getting rid of it."  
"What would the father want?" Adrien asked.  
"We wanted a family," she wiped her cheek. "Just not this soon."  
"Damn right not this soon," Nino rubbed his hands hard over his face, probably trying to let out the tension. "You're barely out of high school, Mari, and he doesn’t even live with you, and-"  
"Nino, chill out." Alya rubbed her temples. "Marinette, are you sure you wanna keep it?"  
"I have to, I can't just…" she trailed off.  
"Will he even help?" Adrien asked darkly.  
"He doesn't know," she scrunched her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears. "And he might not find out until I have it…"  
"Why the fuck not?!" Adrien tried to stop himself from yelling, but this was too much.  
"I only see him once a week," she sniffed. "And we're really close, but he has a whole other life to deal with that I'm not a part of."  
"Like what?!" Nino shrieked. "Don't tell me he's married and just wants some side action, because if he's been using you for that and left you with-"  
"No!" Marinette sobbed. "He's just got a hard job… he has to try really hard to make time for me…"  
"Ugh, when I find out the name of this motherfucker," Nino hissed and shook his head.  
"Please, it's not his fault," Marinette gasped for breath between tears. "I should have gone to the doctor about my pill, but I didn't. This is my fault."  
"It takes two to tango, Mari," Alya sighed. "Please, please, tell us who the father is."  
"I can't," she buried her face in her hands. "I can’t!"  
"Why not?" Nino cried. "He should be here for you!"  
"He would be if he could!" her voice broke. "But he… he can't…"  
Nino growled and waved his hands in the air. Adrien shared the sentiment.  
Marinette was wonderful and precious and she deserved better than a boyfriend who wouldn’t even see her while she was pregnant with their own kid. She deserved all the care and support in the whole world and Adrien decided right then that he was going to give it to her regardless of what the father did.  
"Okay, Marinette," Adrien murmured, rubbing his hand up and down her back. "You don't have to tell us."  
She cried a little more. His heart burned with a rage which was only barely eclipsed by his compassion.  
"I don't even care, honestly," he told her. "Because he's leaving you to deal with this by yourself, and that's unforgiveable."  
Marinette looked into his eyes with fear and confusion.  
"I'm not letting you do this alone, Marinette." Adrien looked back, steady and caring. "I am going to be with you for every step of this."  
"We all are," Alya stroked the girl's cheek with a gentle hand and tugged her head to let their own gazes meet.  
Marinette opened her mouth, possibly to protest, but the three of them would have none of that.  
"You bet your ass we're going to help you, Mari," Nino said very softly, leaning on the back of the couch and reaching over to wipe her tearstains away. "And I'm sorry I got so upset."  
"It's okay," Marinette sniffed.  
"I still wanna kick your boyfriend's ass, though." Nino huffed, and Marinette, incredibly, giggled.  
The four of them smiled. They would get through this together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter five shortly. maybe up to chapter 7 if im feeling antsy


	5. Unexpected Obstacles

"What do you mean I can't transform?!" Marinette hissed.  
"You want to keep the baby," Tikki said. "I can't let you go on patrol."  
"Don't the suits make us indestructible?" she asked frantically. "What if there's an akuma? And don't even suggest that I don't need to talk to Chat about my current predicament!"  
"Your body is indestructible in the suits," Tikki clarified. "But the force of any hit or fall could easily hurt the baby's body, which is only a few hundred cells right now."  
Marinette sat down on her bed, shaking again.  
"I am going to accompany Chat on patrol, in case an akuma comes by." Tikki continued. "I can purify akumas, but I can't use lucky charm."  
Marinette was very worried.  
"And I will deliver letters to Chat Noir." Tikki sighed. "You should have just told one another your identities, Marinette."  
"I wasn't ready," she shook her head. "And that was a stupid excuse, I know. But I don't know if telling each other now will make things better or worse."  
Tikki shook her head, and if she had any more to say on the matter, she kept quiet.  
"Write Chat's letter, Marinette." she said, and went to the kitchen to eat a cookie in preparation for the night.

===

Chat was eager to see his Lady, but as he sat atop their usual meeting building, all he could think about was Marinette, alone in her apartment. He wanted to be there, to make up for the absent father.  
When 9:30 arrived, Chat frowned.  
"Hello, Adrien," a small voice beckoned.  
Chat looked over to see what must have been Ladybug's kwami holding an envelope twice her size.  
"Chat Noir," he corrected, unsure of what to think.  
"Tikki," Tikki replied, using one flipper to gesture to herself. "This letter is from Ladybug."  
Chat very carefully took the envelope, and blinked at the red spirit.  
"Read it," she nodded.  
He obliged.

_Chaton_

_I am so sorry I couldn't see you tonight. I really needed to, especially now._  
_But Tikki won't let me transform. You'll have to ask her why._  
_Ask her._

Chat looked up from the paper.  
"Why won't you let her transform?"  
The next words she said sent Adrien's heart into the stratosphere.  
"Ladybug is pregnant," Tikki sighed. "And if she transforms, she might lose the baby."  
"She was on the pill!" Adrien choked out.  
"She had been for years," Tikki shook her head. "She forgot to get the dose checked."  
Chat just let his eyes fall back to the paper.

_I was as stunned as you must be. I don't know how to feel, but... I've decided to keep it. We always did want a family, even if we didn't want it this soon._  
_I really wish I'd let you know my identity before now, but with me so vulnerable and unable to transform, and with you having to work double-time to keep Paris safe while I can't be there, it's even less safe for anyone to know than it used to be._  
_I will write you a letter every night you patrol, and I'm sure that at some point, Tikki will let me see you… but even if I don’t see you until after the baby is born, know that I love you, and I wish you were here._  
_I love you so much, Chat. Please don't forget that._

_Your Lady_

Chat Noir wanted to cry.  
He was a father.  
A father who couldn’t be there for his love or their baby.  
"Please," he trembled. "Please, Tikki, tell me who she is."  
"I can't do that, Adrien," she shook her head. "And Plagg won't tell you either, so don’t ask him."  
"I can't let her do this alone!" Adrien hissed. "She needs me!"  
"And you need to do your job," Tikki frowned and put her flippers on her hips. "The needs of the many, Adrien."  
Chat Noir growled and stashed the precious letter into his belt.  
"We're going on patrol," he raised a shaking finger to Tikki, as if she were the one to blame, but he knew it wasn't her fault.  
It was his.  
"And then you're going to go home and tell her that I love her to the ends of the Earth and that I would kill Papillion with my bare hands if it meant I could be by her side right now."  
"Write her a letter next time, Chat." the red kwami sighed.  
And then she floated to perch atop his shoulder and they took patrol in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapters gradually get longer from here on out i think


	6. Unexpected Motivations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first thing Adrien did when he got home was call Marinette.

The first thing Adrien did when he got home was call Marinette, even though it was almost 11pm.  
[Adrien?] she grumbled. [Is everything okay? It's almost midnight…]  
"Sorry, Marinette," he leant against the window. "I forgot just how late it was."  
[It's okay,] she said. [What's up?]  
"I just wanted to check on you," he said, and his room had never felt emptier. "I can't help being worried."  
[That's… that's really sweet, Adrien.] Marinette told him, and he could hear her smile in the words. [Thank you, but I should be fine until the third or fourth month.]  
"What happens then?" Adrien asked.  
[That's about the time my mom started to get really sick,] came her heart-rending reply. [When she was pregnant with me. It runs in the family. I'm probably going to get sick about then, too.]  
"How sick?" Adrien whispered. He was trying very hard not to be angry. That stupid fucking boyfriend. How could he do this to her?  
[I'm probably going to get really tired and sluggish,] she replied, and it sounded like she was biting her lip as she spoke. [The pregnancy will go through winter, too, which means I might get the flu or pneumonia and…]  
"Marinette, can I move in with you?" Adrien swallowed some air.  
[What?]  
"I wanna be there for you," he said, mind on the love of his life that he couldn’t do the same for. "I can take the couch if I have to, but I don't want you to be alone if you're going to get sick like that."  
[Isn't… isn't your dad already sick?] Marinette's voice was shaky. [Shouldn't you be there for him?]  
"My father can die," Adrien spat. "It's you I want to take care of."  
There was a little silence.  
"You okay, Marinette?" he asked, suddenly concerned. "Did I say something wrong?"  
[No, no, Adrien,] she breathed heavily. [I'm just really tired. I… I'll talk to you tomorrow about moving in, okay?]  
"Alright," he sighed in relief. "Goodnight, Marinette. Sleep well, ok?"  
[Goodnight, Adrien. You too.]  
And she hung up.  
He walked over and sat on his bed, head in his hands.  
"She's not being fair," came Plagg's voice.  
"Who?" he asked, not looking up.  
"Tikki." Plagg was holding the letter in his black flippers. "Ladybug and the baby aren't in any serious danger until month three and Papillion isn't even making trouble anymore."  
"Have there been pregnant Ladybugs before?"  
"Duh," Plagg rolled his eyes, but while Adrien got the feeling his kwami was hiding something, he didn't have the energy to press him… or do anything other than worry, really.  
"What am I going to do?" he asked no-one in particular.  
"Next patrol, let me out and I'll talk to Tikki while you read Ladybug's letter." Plagg sighed. "Until then, keep helping Marinette."  
"You know Marinette?" Adrien raised an eyebrow.  
"Of course I do," Plagg scrunched up his face, offended. "I've spent most of my time in your bag in class, or your pocket in public, and you're around her all the time."  
"Do… do you like her?" he asked, not exactly sure why he wanted to.  
"Yeah," the black spirit shrugged. "She's real nice and her hands feel good."  
Adrien was completely and utterly confused and terrified by that last statement.  
"Relax kid, I'm talking about when she pets us," Plagg rolled his eyes.  
The boy model's mind briefly wandered back to the lovely nights he'd spent on Marinette's balcony once in a while for a heavy dose of affection from his dear friend. He'd show up as Chat Noir and listen to her talk about her day or week or month while she hugged and petted and gently scratched at his scalp and tingles would shiver through his body and he'd purr for her and they'd stay snuggled, comfortably and tenderly, until they needed to depart for bed.  
"You felt that too?" Adrien blushed a little. When he was younger, those nights with Marinette had fuelled one or two of his fantasies. But he couldn't dwell on that now, not with things the way they were.  
"Duh," Plagg shook his head. "I feel everything you feel while we're transformed."  
"Everything." Adrien got even more stressed.  
"Everything," the kwami sighed. "Even stuff you don't remember."  
"Oh god," the boy gripped his face with tense fingers. So many bombshells had been dropped on him today.  
"Jesus, kid," Plagg tossed the letter to the bed and floated right up to his holder's face. "Look, you haven't done anything wrong. Look at me."  
Green eyes met much smaller green.  
"You're a good kid, Adrien." Plagg told him. "You're upset about Ladybug because you're a good kid. You're letting Tikki be unfair because youre a good kid. You're taking care of Marinette because you're a good kid."  
Adrien's shoulders fell and he took a deep breath.  
"And as much as I'm going to fight Tikki on this," Plagg clenched his tiny sharp teeth. "The only thing we have the power to do right now is help Marinette."  
Adrien nodded and steadied his breathing and decided it was time to sleep.  
"Keep her safe, kid." Plagg murmured as he floated away to his little nest.  
And Adrien lay down in the dark, dread pooling in the pit of his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 6!!! i have no idea what i am doing with this? how often should i update? im thinking one chapter a day so i have something to wake up for. wow i hope people are liking this so far


	7. Unexpected Reactions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette faces her classmates.

Marinette took a deep breath as she walked into class. Every pair of eyes in the huge half-amphitheatre room fell on her.  
"Okay, the teachers not here yet," Alya said softly. "Do you wanna do it now?"  
"Let's get it out of the way," Marinette nodded, and she walked to the centre of the room.  
"Marinette, are you okay?" Rose asked from her left. "We've been so worried."  
"What happened yesterday?" Kim waved from the back. "Is everything alright?"  
Marinette gulped and began to sweat as the questioning voices and looks targeted her from every direction. There were only twenty people in this class, and she knew most of them, but it still felt overwhelming. Some small part of her was thankful Chloe had disappeared from their regular schedules years ago. Marinette would not be able to handle her right now.  
She must have been quiet for too long, because Alya got up from her seat and came over to put her hand on her shoulder.  
"Do you want me to say it?" she asked.  
"N-no," Marinette swallowed some air.  
"It's okay, Marinette," Mylene called. "You can do it."  
"Okay," Marinette took a deep, shaky breath. "Guys, I was away yesterday because…"  
Her voice had died on the last few words. A reassuring squeeze from Alya was all that kept her going.  
"Because I'm pregnant." she managed to choke out.  
Rose squeaked and her hand and Juleka's beside it clamped together. There were several gasps and murmurs, and Marinette wasn't surprised. To them, she was just Marinette, a girl who had been single forever and lived alone. There were only a few ways she could have gotten pregnant so suddenly, even fewer of those ways good, and her classmates had understandable questions and concerns.  
"The father knows," she tried to reassure them, despite being the one in need of support right now. "But unfortunately he can't be here for me for reasons I can't tell you."  
The sound of a pencil snapping echoed from the back row.  
"What's his name?" Nathaniel hissed, absolutely seething.  
"Where does he live?" Kim scowled and cracked his knuckles.  
Ivan just growled and pounded his fist on the table, before Mylene took his hand in her own.   
She knew they were only being protective, but the thought of all the boys in her class chasing Chat Noir with the intent of beating him to a pulp both amused and terrified her.  
"I can't tell you that either," she hugged herself. "I promise you that he loves me, and that he wants to help, but right now he just can't see me. It's a really messy situation, but Alya and Nino and Adrien are helping me out, and I'm going to get through the worst of it okay."  
Rose and Juleka got out of their seats and came down to hug Marinette, followed by Mylene. Ivan followed, and gave her the gentlest bear hug she'd ever received in her life. She spied Kim telling Nino and Adrien to call him the moment they found out who the father was, and Nathaniel chimed in some similar sentiments on the way past them.  
By the time he reached her, half the class had come to declare their support and moved back to their seats. Nathaniel was different though. He really did love Marinette, and she'd known him for years, and she loved him just as much, if only platonically.  
"Mari," Nathaniel looked her in the eyes and placed his hands gently on her shoulders. "I promise that if he leaves you, or he's not doing enough, or even if you need anything, I'll help you, okay?"  
"Thanks, Nath," she smiled sadly, and he hugged her tenderly.  
"I mean it, Mari," he told her. "Anything. You deserve the world."  
She kissed his cheek as they parted. Kim stepped in and told her he'd help her talk to their parents about it, since their mothers had been good friends since before they were born and might both have good advice. Marinette thanked her childhood buddy and he, too, left.  
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng," the teacher cleared her throat softly. "Are you feeling any better?"  
"Yeah, somewhat," she told the professor. "It's all a mess, though."  
"You've graduated, Marinette," the older woman told her. "You don't have to come to the last three days of classes. Head home after lunch, okay?"  
"Thanks, Miss Pipes." Marinette sighed.  
She took her seat with a newfound steadiness.  
Maybe this wasn't going to be the end of the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> player 5 has entered the game ;) yeah i think maybe one to three a day? ugh who knows


	8. Unexpected Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien, Alya and Nino have a surprising talk at lunch.

"Okay, Adrien," Marinette said to him at lunch. "Did you wanna discuss moving in?"  
"What?" Nino raised an eyebrow.  
"Yeah," Adrien replied as he took his seat opposite her. "I guess first we should discuss time?"  
"Okay," she tapped her chin with a finger. "Like how long you'll stay and when you'll be home?"  
The word 'home' made Adrien's heart do a little flip.  
"Yeah," he said with a shy smile. "I don't wanna completely invade your space, so I was thinking I'd just put a few things in the spare room and stay some nights a week?"  
"What is happening here?" Alya waved her hand between their locked gazes. "What are you two doing?"  
"I offered to move in with Marinette to help her with stuff," Adrien shrugged.  
"Yeah, that sounds good," Marinette thought aloud. "The thing is, I don't know how bad I'm going to get by month four."  
"Month four?" Nino asked, but Alya seemed to have already figured out what she meant.  
"You have a few options there, girl," the redhead said. "You could go home to your parents for a bit, or come stay with me and Nino while it's bad."  
"What if you took turns?" Marinette suggested. "All of you stay some nights, at one time or another, when you're free, and that way you're not stuck with me, but I won't be alone if I need help."  
"That's a cool idea, actually." Nino nodded. "But what if there are days none of us can make it?"  
"I'm sure Kim or Nathaniel wouldn't mind hanging out with me every once in a while," Marinette nodded. "And my mom might be able to help with the more… uh, health-related stuff."  
"So we have a plan?" Alya raised an eyebrow.  
"We have a plan," Adrien smiled triumphantly.  
"Thank you so much, you guys." Marinette stood up and went once around the table, giving her companions very quick hugs and cheek kisses.  
She saw a boy in an orange hoodie approaching and sighed, her easy mood dissipated.  
"You ready, Marinette?" Kim asked, twirling his keys around one finger.  
"Time to face my mother." she waved.  
"Call you later, Mari," Nino waved back.  
The three watched their friend disappear into a car and drive away.  
Adrien, lost in thought, reached up to softly touch where Marinette's lips had pecked his cheek. The spot tingled like her petting used to.  
"Watch yourself, Adrien," Alya chided. "Mari's a taken woman."  
He frowned and tucked his arm into his elbow. Autumn had begun, and it was getting chilly.  
"Not that whoever-he-is is worth anything," Nino muttered. "I don't give a fuck what my job was, if I got Marinette pregnant and it was getting in the way, I'd quit."  
"What makes you think you'd get her pregnant?" Alya grinned.  
Nino went red and pulled his cap down to cover his eyes.  
"Like, y'know… Like, as an example..." he stuttered quietly.  
"You think she's pretty, don’t you?" his companion teased.  
"You do, too!" Nino pointed accusingly.  
"Alright, fine," Alya laughed. "I'll admit, I find Marinette attractive, but that's not hard, babe. Plenty of us think she's girlfriend material."  
"Bullshit," the gold-eyed boy raised his cap.  
"No, it's true." the redhead said. "You, me, Nathaniel, even Kim way back in college. Rose and Juleka are happy but they both think she's real cute. If Marinette broke it off with mister bad-daddy, she'd have no trouble finding someone who'd love her more."  
Adrien felt something nice hearing these words. Perhaps it was comfort, knowing Marinette had so many chances to love again if this mystery guy wasn’t up to snuff. He smiled softly.  
"Hell, from what Mari's told me," Alya bragged. "Though I would never put it on the blog, even Chat Noir loved sneaking in to visit her after dark."  
Adrien went bright red. Did she have to phrase it like that? It sounded so scandalous.  
"Seriously?" Nino asked, wide-eyed.  
"Okay, it wasn't some secret affair or anything," she admitted. "It was… really cute, actually."  
Adrien, still red, tried to steady his breathing, curious as to what Alya had to say.  
"Apparently," she looked… kind of wistful as she told them. "Chat recognized her from the numerous akuma attacks that were happening first year of college, and they kinda hit it off really well. He would keep coming by to talk and she'd snuggle him when he wanted affection."  
"Damn, that is cute," Nino smiled. "Marinette's so awesome."  
"She really is," Adrien stared into the patterns made by the chipping paint of the table. The tingles from her peck and the memory of her hands gently scratching at his back flowed along his skin where the breeze collided with it.  
"Looks like we can add another person to that list, then," Alya murmured.  
Before Adrien could protest, Alya's phone rang.  
"Hello?" she frowned. "No, mama, I'm sorry, I can't take them for a while."  
Nino mouthed 'sisters' to Adrien, which promptly reminded him of the night they'd become akumas and practically swarmed the city. He remembered Rena Rouge - who was, unbeknownst to him at the time, Alya - arriving from nowhere to help them, but disappearing again by the next akuma, and he'd wondered for four years what had gone on with that. Thanks to their anniversary talk, Adrien now knew the identities of all their single-time superhero teammates, Alya, Nino and Chloe.  
Adrien shuddered when he remembered Chloe. She hadn't been seen around a public school in years, and they'd (probably thankfully) drifted apart since college. He shook the memories away.  
Then the bell sounded, and lunch was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no-ones said anything about it yet but i wanted to point out that i wrote this fic forgetting that seasons flip in the northern hemisphere (i'm Australian lol) and Marinette and Co. wouldn't have graduated in the Fall in real life France so sorry abt that. my bad. unfortunately, the plot needs to stay the way it is, so i guess we'll just have to live with the horrible inconsistency with real life lol. maybe the school schedule for graduating classes in France ends in a half-year like it does for ours? w/e its a minor detail. anyways pls give me feedback... i want to know what yallre thinking


	9. Unexpected Conversations (reprise)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tikki's being weird and Adrien has an even more surprising talk than the one he had at lunch.

Marinette thanked Kim and walked up the stairs to her apartment. The meeting with their mothers had gone relatively well and she'd gotten a lot of good advice from them. She had a little notepad with things they'd told her on it, and before she left, her mother told her to call her later to talk about the sickness she could very well have inherited.  
It was as she got in the door that Marinette realised how lonely her apartment was.  
The only other person who lived here was Tikki, and no-one visited. When she met others, she left. She really hadn't spent enough time here to consider it a home.  
She decided that having roommates and visitors would be nice.  
Marinette got herself some coffee and sat in her room at the desk.  
"Making some new designs, Marinette?" Tikki asked cheerily.  
"I'm going to have to make myself a wardrobe that'll flatter pregnancy," Marinette rolled her eyes. "I think I'll be inside most of the time anyway, but when I do go out, I want to look like I have my life together at least."  
Tikki giggled.  
"Tikki," the girl sketched some basic body shapes to try hypothetical clothes on. "Have other Ladybugs had babies?"  
"Oh yes, a few," Tikki nodded enthusiastically. "And all of them gave birth with no problems."  
"Oh," Marinette's pencil made its tiny scratching noises. "Were any of the fathers their cats?"  
"One or two, yes." the red kwami sat on the table. "Others were with a different holder, usually the fox or the turtle. Some were just married to a civilian. Sometimes the Ladybug was the father."  
Marinette paused in her sketching to look at the small spirit.  
Tikki was looking out the window into the evening sky.  
The colours gave her ideas for her designs.  
"Marinette," Tikki said after a while, and dark blue eyes met her own.  
"Yeah?" she replied.  
Tikki waited a moment, opened her mouth and closed it again, shaking her head.  
"Never mind."  
Marinette petted her kwami gently on the head and went back to designing. She would call Alya tomorrow to take her to some stores for fabrics and more sewing supplies.  
And then she went to the kitchen to make herself some dinner.

===

Adrien had been thinking about Marinette all afternoon. The thoughts had persisted through the rest of the day's class, through the three-hour photoshoot for some mid-level magazine and through dinner, but they were stopped when the dining hall door opened.  
"Your father wishes to speak with you, Adrien." Nathalie said, and Adrien almost choked on his spoon.

Walking into the private hospital elevator, Adrien didn't know how to feel anymore. Should he be angry about the abandonment and stifling micromanagement of his whole life? Sad about his father's freak sickness and the disappearance of his mother? Bitterly optimistic and planning what to do with a company that might be his should his father fall prey to this untimely illness? Or empty, devoid of an emotional reaction he didn't feel like giving to a man who had only taken and demanded things from him?  
"It's a tough one," Plagg offered. "I say ignore him."  
Adrien shrugged numbly. He didn't even care anymore, thus, careless he would be. He took a deep breath outside the door of the room.  
He hadn't expected what he found.  
"Hello, Adrien," his father smiled.  
Gabriel was faring a lot better than he had been last time Adrien had been ordered to visit, which was to say that he looked less like a man on the edge of death and more like the elderly one he wasn't able to hide being anymore. The colour had returned to his skin and he was sitting upright.  
"You look better," Adrien raised an eyebrow.  
"Yes, aren't experimental medications just miraculous sometimes?" the white-haired man sipped some tea out of a straw.  
Adrien felt sick. He wasn't sure if it was the unnatural way of drinking that beverage, the absolutely terrifying good mood his father was in, the scary implication that his father knew what a miraculous was, or his thoughts of Ladybug and Marinette. Adrien couldn't tell. Just about the only thing he understood right now was that he desperately wanted to leave.  
"So, son," Gabriel clasped his hands together. "Tell me about all your little friends."  
"Oh, y'know," Adrien looked around frantically for a disposable puke bag. "Just, uh. Just life, y'know? People going to work, being couples, doing stuff."  
"Come on, Adrien," the old man waved jovially, and Adrien felt dizzy. "I want to know what's up with your social life."  
Plagg's flipper papped against his faltering heart.  
"Well, uh," Adrien had to make a split second decision. Did he lie, or tell the truth?  
Fuck it, he wasn't in the right state of mind to think up a convincing set of lies.  
"Alya and Nino are still together. I, uh… I think?"  
Were they? He wasn't sure. They weren't fighting or anything.  
"Oh?" Gabriel nodded understandingly. "And what about that lovely girl, Marinette, the one that wanted to be a designer and always fancied you in college?"  
Adrien almost vomited on the spot, from both the anxiety and the revelation that not only had Marinette been interested in him for years, but that his father had noticed, and knew, and had paid attention, and was asking about her. Every fibre of his body screamed 'run'.  
"Um," he shuffled on his feet, and decided to move around the room in the hope he'd find a puke bag. "Yeah she's, um, in a bit of trouble, actually."  
"Oh, dear," Gabriel offered.  
"Yeah," Adrien's voice hiked up a pitch and he opened the cupboard on the wall. "Some guy got her pregnant."  
"Oh," the old man replied. "And by some guy, you mean…?"  
"She says they're in love," the blond dug through the supply drawers and leant down under the sink, trying to make his heart slow down. "But she won't tell us his name or where he lives, and he hasn't come to see her, she says he's too busy."  
"Oh," Gabriel repeated.  
"Half the guys in the school have vowed to beat him up the second we find out who he is," Adrien shuffled some miscellaneous supplies to hide the shaking of his hands. "Me included. We all know how much she's worth, and we've got her a whole support network now."  
"So, you don't know who the father is?" Gabriel asked.  
"No clue," Adrien was sweating as he searched the last cupboard and found a puke bag. "And honestly, I don't care. I'll be the kid's father figure myself if he won't step up."  
"I think you'll make an excellent father," his own smiled, and Adrien lost his lunch into the bag.  
"Oh, goodness," the old man cringed. "Go on home Adrien, thank you for visiting."  
Adrien didn't even say goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one or two lines from this will be relevant later ;)  
> also gabriel is a creepy, abusive, manipulative [redacted] and he is going to be treated as such.


	10. The Unexpected Visitor

The moment Adrien got back to the mansion, he needed to leave it again. Even though the private hospital was almost an hour's drive away, he still wanted to run. He still needed out. He was terrified. The mansion smelt like his father - empty, cold, and vaguely like terrible last-century cologne, and he didn't want to be there a second longer.  
"Kid, that was fucked up," Plagg said, wide-eyed.  
"Yeah," Adrien tried to avoid hyperventilating. "Can we go somewhere?"  
"We could go get pets," Plagg suggested.  
Adrien thought he might like that, too.  
He called upon his transformation and practically clawed his way out the window and into the cityscape of Paris.

===

If Marinette had the energy, she would have jumped three feet into the air when she heard the tapping at the window. She'd only just gotten dressed.  
"Chat Noir?" Marinette's heart immediately filled with fear as she opened it to let him in.  
"Hey, Marinette." he clambered in. "Sorry I haven't come by in a while. I didn't know where your new place was."  
She blinked her wide eyes.  
"Is… is it still okay to visit?" his ears fell back. "Cause I can go, if…"  
"No!" she shook her head and waved her hands. "No, yes, you can be here, Chat, I…"  
He flinched.  
"Sorry, kitty," Marinette sighed, desperately trying to keep her thoughts together. "I… I'm going through a lot at the moment."  
"Oh," Chat cleared his throat. "Yeah, your friend Adrien told me you were in some, uh, unfortunate circumstances when I asked if he'd tell me where you lived."  
"Adrien talks about me?" Marinette reached up to fiddle with her hair and a blush spread across her cheeks.  
Chat, who's magical cat eyes unfortunately didn't pick up many red shades, didn't notice.  
"Yeah. He thinks you're amazing," he reassured her, guessing that she was just anxious. "And he's worried about you."  
"I'm worried about myself." she sighed and sat down on the bed. "I don’t know what I'm going to do."  
"What's happened," Chat asked, kneeling before her.  
"I… um…" this was dangerous, and Marinette knew it. One wrong word might tip Chat off and she couldn't handle that right now. "I got… I got pregnant."  
"Oh," Chat said. "Who's the father?"  
She swallowed, and Adrien's heart skipped. Would she tell Chat Noir?  
"I can't tell anyone, chaton," she said sadly. "I can't even tell you, and I really do want to tell you."  
"Why not, Mari?" he scooted closer.  
She snaked her arms around his shoulders and his skin lit up with the pleasant tingles of her touch beneath his suit. Resting his head on his arms on her lap, he waited for an answer.  
"Because," she sighed. "I'd be in danger if someone found out who the father was."  
It was Chat's turn to be filled with fear.  
"Marinette," he looked into her beautiful blue eyes. "Please, if you're in danger, you need to tell me. I have to protect you."  
"As long as it stays secret, I'm out of danger," she shook her head. "Please believe me, kitty."  
Marinette stroked his cheek ever-so gently with the back of her hand. He wanted to press, to squeeze the name of anyone who wanted to hurt her out so he could hunt them down and make sure they never touched a hair on her head. But he trusted her to know if she really needed his help, so he put a pin in it.  
"I missed you, princess," Chat murmured, purring as she tangled her fingers in his hair. "How long has it been since we've done this?"  
"Six months or so," she said.  
He only hummed in reply, lost in the sensations of her pets.  
"When I find out who's done this to you," he murmured, trying to focus on his words. "I'm going to cataclysm his face."  
"Oh, kitty," Marinette murmured, and he heard the muscles in her face move as she smiled. "You'll have to get in line."  
"Will I now?" his tail flickered back and forth.  
Marinette hummed in affirmation and shuffled one of her hands to get a different petting angle. He groaned in pleasure.  
"Papa first," the girl sending fireworks along his skin whispered to him. "Then Alya, and Adrien and Nino. Nathaniel, then Kim and Ivan."  
"You've got a lot of-" Chat sighed under her fingertips. "Good friends."  
"They're all wonderful." Marinette kissed his forehead gently. "And you are too."  
Adrien hummed and purred and relished the attention until it was time to leave her again.  
As soon as he hit the cold night air, he had to fight the urge to crawl back in the window and curl around his friend forever.  
He leapt away into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everything i write becomes marichat and im only partially upset about that


	11. Unexpected Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrol gets weird.

In the second week, Adrien landed to find Tikki already waiting for him. He took the letter his Lady had written for him and stashed it in his belt.  
After a lengthy, silent and distracted patrol, they returned to the meeting building. He let Plagg out and sat down on the roof to read his love's words.

_Chaton_

_You don't know how much I needed to hear the words you told Tikki to deliver._   
_I love you so much, and it hurts to have you so far away._

He got through that much before Tikki and Plagg began to argue.  
"Just. One. Meeting." Plagg demanded. "One, before they have to cut contact for seven whole months!"  
"No, Plagg," Tikki said, voice low and steady.  
"They need to see one another." the black spirit countered. "You know they do."  
"Then they should have found out each other's names before knowing would mean she'd be in trouble." the red one argued. The words stung a little, and Adrien knew that was because they were true.  
"Tikki, you're being unfair!" Plagg growled. "So they've got themselves in a corner. That doesn't mean you get to take away his right to see his partner and _their unborn child_!"  
"There is no way I'm risking it!" Tikki hissed. "I refuse!"  
"Tikki!" he scrunched his face up in frustration. "They _need_ -"  
" _We can't lose this one_!" she yelled, closing in on him. "Not these ones!"  
Plagg seemed surprised at this. Adrien was completely lost.  
"I'm not letting her do anything to jeopardize it!" Tikki's tiny red body shook as she cried out. " _ **I will not have another Eleanor**_!"  
Pea-sized tears rolled down the red spirit's cheeks.  
Plagg seemed similarly distraught, but after a short time, he sighed and reached out to her.  
"You're starting to sound like me, bug." he whispered, taking her flippers in his own.  
She whimpered between the sobs, and Adrien wasn’t sure if he should try to comfort her or turn away from what felt like a very intimate moment between the two kwamis.  
"I don’t want that for these ones either," Plagg said, pawing gently at her cheeks to banish her tears. "But we can't just keep them apart."  
"I…" she opened her mouth to protest, but was stopped.  
"We'll be careful." the black spirit told her. "Meet in a park, on the ground, where a trusted friend can drive her there and back."  
Tikki took a deep breath and nodded.  
"The park with the statue." she told them. "Tomorrow night at 11pm."  
"Thank you," Adrien choked out.  
"We patrol again on Friday," Tikki wiped her face. "Have your next letter by then."  
And then she took Adrien's letter for Ladybug and flew away, and the blond boy looked down to finish his own.

_I think about you every day, and I see you sometimes at night, from a distance. I really wish we didn't have to be so far apart._   
_I'm not alone, though. I have four wonderful friends that have promised to be here for me while you can't. I'm getting so much advice and support, and everyone's been so good to me. Every boy (and even some of the girls) I know want to know who you are so they can kick your ass. I won't tell them though, because I think you'd probably let them, and I need you to be good and strong for me._   
_I love you, Chat Noir. I love you, I love you, I love you._

_Bugaboo_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i'd like to mention that the characters are all roughly 19 here, just as clarification, bc i never explicitly state that that's how old they are.  
> also even tho its kinda tipping my hand, i want to say that the 'Eleanor' Tikki references here originally had payoff, but i had to cut it so the narrative stayed under control. if you're interested in the story of Eleanor and why Tikki and Plagg are so upset about her, i can possibly post it as like, supplementary work/a deleted scene. i have two deleted scenes, both of which i saved bc i was proud of them, but i'll only post them if yall ask for them.


	12. Unexpected Planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette plans her rendezvous.

_My Lady_

_I only have your first letter to reply to, so I'm sorry if you've told me anything important and I don’t know it._   
_I'm so sorry I can't be there for you. I want to be. I want to be there, to hold your hair back when you get morning sickness and keep you warm through winter and go to the store to buy you stuff so you don’t have to leave the house when you're tired._   
_I want to tell you I love you in person so I know that you've heard it._   
_I'm also sorry to Tikki for being mad at her. It's my fault we're in this mess._   
_Plagg's mad too. He wants Tikki to let us meet. He says we should be together, that you need me and I need to be there for you. I agree, but I don't know if he'll convince her._   
_I am yours forever, Ladybug. I will love you till the day I die._

_Chat_

Marinette let the tear that threatened to fall from her eye roll down her cheek.  
"Plagg convinced me." Tikki said. "You meet tomorrow in the park with your statue at 11pm. Ask someone to drive you."  
"Oh, thank you Tikki," Marinette sobbed.  
"And I'm upping patrols so your letters won't be as lagged." Tikki hugged her face. "We've made our beds and now we have to lie in them, so let's at least get comfy."  
"Yeah," Marinette nodded. "Okay."  
Marinette considered her options for a lift tomorrow night, since Tikki most definitely would not let her walk.  
Alya might ask questions, and she would definitely bring a camera, and they could not have that.  
Nino would insist on coming with her, and if he learnt she was meeting the father she wouldn't be able to stop him from trying to beat him up.  
Adrien couldn’t drive, and honestly, even if he could, she might not want him to be her companion. Adrien was wonderful and she loved him, but he was just as protective as Nino. But Adrien was far more dangerous, because he was unpredictable. If he found out it was the father, he'd also insist on going, but there was no telling whether he'd try to beat Chat senseless or pull out a scathing and terrifying speech about responsibility and valuing your partner - and she couldn't decide which was the worse option. No, Adrien could be her support in anything but this.  
So who did that leave?  
Nathaniel. He would take her without question, and could probably be persuaded to trust her to be alone. She was starting to really believe that she could always count on Nathaniel.  
Marinette reached for her phone, dialled the number and pressed call.  
Despite it being ten-something pm, he picked up right away.  
"Nathaniel?" she asked quietly.  
[Marinette?] his voice came, sleepy and stressed. [Are you okay?]  
"I'm okay right now, I swear," she said. "But… I kinda need a favour."  
[Anything, Mari, you know that.] he said immediately.  
"What are you doing tomorrow night?" she smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhhhh i keep getting nervous about the quality of my writing? i wrote most of this fic during my bouts of insomnia so im terrified i've just made absoulutely shitty writing. anyway if the reasoning for not bringing adrien to the meeting seems contrived, remember that worse excuses have been made for adrien and chat to not be in the same place, even in the show, haha.
> 
> call it their luck ;)


	13. Unexpected Partners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug has a Chat in the park.

"Okay," Nathaniel told her, turning off the engine. "I'll be here until you're done. Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"  
"I'll be fine, I promise." she put her hand on his briefly. "I'll come back to you safe."  
"Okay. Call me if you need me out there." he said, and took off his seatbelt.  
She leant over and kissed his cheek before stepping out into the chilling air.  
The night was overcast and the park was dark. Marinette made sure she was out of sight and transformed.  
She sat on a bench and waited.  
She didn’t have to wait long.  
"Ladybug?" a voice came, and she twisted to see her Chat Noir standing behind her.  
"Hi, Chat," she smiled and stood, and in seconds his arms were around her.  
"God," he gushed. "I'm so sorry. I missed you. I love you. Do you know that? I-"  
"Shh, chaton," she soothed, kissing his cheek and running her fingers through his hair. "I know you love me. I love you too."  
"Are you getting sick yet?" he asked, breathing heavily into her neck. They'd talked about starting a family a few months ago. Health stuff had been brought up as a must-know.  
"No, mom said month four." she sighed. "Not looking forward to it."  
"I need to be there." he begged. "Please, bug, I need to be there for you, please, please tell me your name-"  
"It's too dangerous, kitty," she shook her head. "I want to tell you. I want to tell you so bad, but it's safer if we don't know."  
"What if something goes wrong?" Chat whimpered. "And I can't help you?"  
"I have my friends, and Tikki will tell you things, and I'll write my letters as long as I'm able." she clung to him. "And maybe Tikki will let us do this more. We're going to be okay no matter what."  
"Can I send Plagg to visit you?"  
"Yeah," she smiled. "That's a good idea, actually."  
There was a moment of quiet.  
They kissed. Tenderly, for as long as they could afford not to breathe.  
"I love you, Chat," she whispered.  
"I love you, Bug," he whispered back.  
"What are we going to do?" she asked his chest.  
"I don’t know." he sighed and rested his chin on her head.  
"What if… what if we gave each other hints." Marinette said. "Told each other just enough to figure out who we were quietly, and not make a big deal out of it, and we'd just know."  
"Our kwamis won't approve," Adrien said.  
" _Tikki_ won't approve," she corrected. "Seems like Plagg is all for us knowing."  
He nodded.  
"I'll give you my first hint, a small one." she tapped her chin. "I currently live alone."  
"Okay, uh," Adrien tucked away that information for later. "I can't drive."  
"Oh?" she raised her eyebrow.  
"Never learnt," he shrugged. "I've been driven everywhere my whole life."  
"Aw, now I have to give you a second one, too," she poked him in the chest. "Hmm. I… I have officially designed for Jagged Stone."  
"Whoa, seriously?"  
"Twice," she bragged. "Okay, enough hints or we'll know each other too well too soon."  
His glowing green cat eyes looked her all over. He kissed her again, a few too-short times.  
"What colour were your parents' eyes?" she asked him.  
"Mom's eyes were green and dad's eyes were blue." he said. "Why?"  
"My dad has green eyes, and my mom has grey," she told him. "So that's three relatives with green eyes, and two with blue, and one with grey. I think the baby's gonna have green eyes."  
Adrien couldn't help the smile that split across his face.  
"Both my parents were blonde," he said. "Do you think the baby might be blond too?"  
"Nope," she shook her head. "Black hair, like me and my mom. Papa has brown, and dark hair colours beat light in the gene pool."  
"Aww," Chat pouted. Somehow, the idea of having a mini version of himself or his mother had been the most appealing thing in his life for a few seconds.  
"Don't worry, Chaton," Ladybug giggled, a sound he had sorely missed. "Maybe the second one will be blonde."  
"Are we having a second one?" he asked, unwarranted thoughts sparking in his mind.  
"I don't know," she blushed. "We should have this one first and then see how we feel once we get ourselves sorted."  
He kissed her cheek and her forehead.  
"You know I'd never want any less."  
"Yeah," she smiled and kissed his lips. "I know."  
They held each other close for a few moments more.  
"My friend's waiting…" Marinette murmured. "I don't wanna leave, but we have to."  
"I know." Adrien whispered.  
"Okay, I'll… see you again soon, hopefully." they torturously broke apart.  
"I love you," he held his hands to the sides of her face. "I love you so much."  
"I love you, kitty," she kissed him again, too briefly for either's liking.  
Adrien tore his eyes away and leapt into the night.  
Marinette detransformed and walked back to the car.  
Nathaniel let out a held breath once she slid into the passenger seat.  
"Are you okay?" he asked, searching her face.  
"I'm great," she sighed and smiled softly at him. "I… I can't thank you enough for helping me."  
"As long as you're safe and happy," he said, turning the engine on without looking away from her. "That's satisfaction enough for me."  
She kissed his cheek again when he dropped her home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thirteen is my favourite number! my lucky number ;).  
> yeah eventually it will become clear exactly how much i self-projected on nath lol


	14. Unexpected Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette has a good, hard think about things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yes it's in the tags but i just wanted to clearly briefly warn that theres some super, super low-key sexy stuff mentioned in this chapter specifically. i made it a point not to make this fic explicit, because that's not the tone i was going for with this narrative, but this is just a reminder that occasionally this story touches on sex and body health stuff.  
> chapter 15 will be up right after this so that anyone who wants or needs to skip this particular chapter still has something to read today (^u^)

Marinette was sewing the final of her new creations when Tikki arrived home with her newest letter.  
"Plagg will be visiting us tomorrow." she was informed. She looked forward to it.  
Marinette read the letter with hungry eyes.

_Bug_

_I miss you more than anything. Leaving you last night was probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, because I knew I wouldn't get to see you again for a long time. Work is harder now that I'm "distracted", and my father's out of hospital, which means he's my boss again, and I hate it._   
_I'm saving up all my money for us, though. I'm going to buy us a good house where you'll never have to worry about rent or bills again, and we'll live with our family, however big or small._   
_I'm glad your friends are there for you. Could you thank whoever it was that drove you last night from me, please? And, I promise, I'm beating myself up plenty. Your guy friends don’t have to go out of their way._   
_I love you, Ladybug. I can't wait to be able to say that sentence with your real name._

_Your Kitty_

Marinette smiled softly.  
She pulled out a small empty notebook that she had begun a project in. On the first few pages, written without explicit context, she had recorded everything she knew about her Chat Noir.  
She'd split the info into several categories. Personality, Body, Family, and Misc.  
She turned to the family page, where 'mother' and 'father' were written. Under 'mother' was only written 'green eyes' and 'blonde', and under 'father' she scrawled the points 'sick?' and 'his boss' below the existing points of 'blue eyes', 'blond' and 'mean?'.  
Marinette flipped back to the body page and reread her list in case there was anything she'd missed.  
'green eyes'  
'blond'  
'tall'  
'broad shoulders'  
'allergic to feathers'  
'lactose intolerant?'  
'smells like: cheese/expensive perfume. why'  
'ears are pierced'  
'good assets'  
Tikki had giggled when Marinette wrote that last one.  
Under personality was the most words.  
'funny'  
'loyal'  
'caring'  
'gentle'  
'sweet'  
'clever'  
'earnest'  
'trustworthy'  
'stubborn'  
'curious'  
'loud'  
'confident'  
'cuddly'  
'enthusiastic'  
'considerate'  
'persistent'  
'prefers to touch softly'  
'doesn’t like being alone'  
'wants a family'  
'likes to compliment'  
Marinette was too tired to write more, but reading the last few lines again reminded her of the night that had begun this mess. She'd been avoiding thinking about it in the guilt and stress and confusion, but revisiting how pleasant it had been might be comforting.  
Her fingers brushed at her lips and she remembered how he had kissed her and how it had been warm. How she had told him to close his eyes so he wouldn't know where her apartment was and tied the blindfolds around their faces. How they had frantically undressed and pulled at one another only to find that their preferred rhythm was slow. How he had whispered to her about how beautiful she was as he ran his hands all over her body. The building pleasure and the warmth of his skin as they lay in the afterglow, only thinking about their love for one another.  
Leading him back to the meeting place and retrieving her blindfold, bidding him farewell and going back to school the next day with her greatest and most favourite secret of all safely tucked into her heart.  
The following weekly patrols where they avoided repeating the same activities, but affirmed the feelings behind them.  
And then the consequence.  
But, incredibly, she still didn't regret it.  
Marinette, against all odds, was content with her place in life, and upon deciding this, she got up from her table and went to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this ones a little short haha but chapter fifteen is here too so hopefully that makes up for it :)


	15. The Unexpected Visitor 2: The Sequel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette has an extra companion for the day.

Marinette woke the next morning to several nice texts from her friends. She replied to all of them with enthusiasm.  
Her anxiety about her situation was far from solved, but it had been quelled.  
She once again thanked Nathaniel for his help.  
She put her phone down and sat up, only to spot a black shape on her desk.  
"Plagg?" she asked, and the kwami turned to look at her.  
"Hey, Marinette." he smiled. "You sure have been paying attention to this whole hint thing, huh."  
Marinette was apprehensive, but curious.  
"Yeah, I…" she played with some strands of hair. "I wanted to remind myself of what hes like, y'know? For when I can't see him."  
"You see him, though," Plagg closed the book and floated over. "And you know he's going to come by more."  
"I know that," she smiled and offered a hand for him to sit on. "But he doesn't know it's me."  
"He will." the black spirit sat in her palm. "You kids are real clever. He's got a list of everything he knows about you, too."  
"Really?" she asked him. "What's on it?"  
"Oh, you know," he rolled his green eyes. "All the words that describe you surrounded by sickening amounts of scribbled hearts."  
"Come on, tell me what he's written," She blushed.  
"He writes about your eyes," the kwami fake gagged. "And how he could look into them all day. About how he loves watching you do things because you're so amazing."  
"Seems like he's paw-sitively smitten," she giggled. "Does he really think so much of little old me?"  
"He appreciates everything about you, Marinette," Plagg waved dismissively. "Even stuff he doesn't know is you."  
She smiled wistfully.  
"Mostly that you give good pets," Plagg rolled and twisted around between her fingers.  
"Do I, now?" she teased, but she began to rub circles around his bulbous head with her fingers all the same.  
"Oh, yeah," tiny, tiny purring radiated from his small form.  
Marinette had to smile.  
"Also nice kisses." Plagg dared.  
She rolled her eyes and planted a big old smooch on his forehead. His tiny cheeks went pink.  
"Plagg," Tikki scolded from the doorway. "She's a taken woman."  
"And I am a part of the package deal that is her partner," Plagg defended. "So I have the right to some kisses."  
"If you wanted kisses, you could ask me," Tikki joined them.  
"And you could ask kisses of Chat Noir," the black spirit told her. "It's one big smooch fest, my favourite outcome."  
"What are the other versions?" Marinette raised an eyebrow.  
"Well, if my holder's partner is a civilian, I don’t get to kiss Tikki," Plagg hugged the red kwami. "If my holder's partner is a holder, but isn't Ladybug, Tikki gets mad if I kiss other kwamis. If they don’t have partners, I don’t get any kisses. When Ladybugs and Cats get together… that's my favourite."  
"How is Chat?" she asked.  
"He's not dying or anything," Plagg shrugged. "But he's still worried about you. He thinks he doesn't have any contact with you whatsoever, even though we know that's not true."  
"Will he be okay?"  
"When he finds out it's you he will probably faint in relief," Plagg sighed. "He's a good kid."  
"Do… do I know his real name?"  
"Yeah," Plagg shrugged. "You both know each other real well."  
"You've got nothing to be afraid of Marinette," Tikki told her. "Nothing except Papillon."  
She smiled at their reassuring words.  
"Do you guys have any camembert?" Plagg asked.  
"I might have some cheese, but I can't promise it's camembert." Marinette stood up and walked out to the kitchen. "Wait, is that why Chat always smells like cheese and perfume? Are you the one that makes him smell like cheese?"  
"Yes," Plagg said flatly, as if this were not a bad thing. "The perfume is his father's doing, though."  
"Why does his father make him wear perfume?" she asked, opening the fridge.  
"He's apparently too good to get to wear normal deodorant." he replied, shaking his head. "It's an awful smelling perfume, too, but we can't get him to change the brand."  
"Is his dad really that mean to him?" she shuffled some boxes of food around, searching for cheese.  
"Mean doesn’t begin to cover it," Plagg said. "But he's got you, and hes got his friends, and eventually he'll be free."  
She handed him some of the maasdam she found on a plate in the back that didn't look mouldy yet, and he swallowed it whole.  
She giggled and put the plate in the sink. She got the feeling Plagg would be nice to have around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love plagg. i love him so much and i honestly could not tell you why.  
> anyway see yall tomorrow ;)


	16. The Unexpected Clue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien makes the first in a series of serious slip ups, and Marinette makes the first in a series of ass-saves.

Autumn was too long for Adrien. Now that he was out of school, his father had made him a full time model without consulting him, and at the cost of everything else he'd ever been ordered to do. No more Mandarin, no more piano, no more fencing.  
Of course, he could speak Mandarin with Marinette's mother and some of his father's business associates at those stupid compulsory monthly merger parties if he so wished, and Nino let him jam out on his electric keyboard when he hung out at their apartment, but those were things he had to try for.  
There were too many photo shoots, and not enough time. If he wanted pets from Marinette, he had to sacrifice sleep, and if he wanted to see his friends, he'd miss his scheduled meals and have to find his own. It felt like Adrien was spending his whole life being photographed or smeared with beauty products or being dressed and undressed like a barbie doll. His father had returned to being cold and distant and Adrien had never been happy about that in his life, but he supposed there was a first time for everything. At least this was the devil he knew how to ward off.  
On month three of the pregnancies, Adrien started to get antsy.  
"I should still be fine until next month," Marinette reassured him while they were handed their coffees.  
"I know," he smiled. "I know. I just feel so useless, I guess. All this stupid modelling."  
"I know," she patted his hand and his skin warmed against the autumn air. "Look, honestly, I don't mind the company if you wanna start spending a few nights."  
"Really?" Adrien asked. "Are you sure?"  
"Of course," she sighed pleasantly and sipped her mocha. "There are some things I should tell you, though."  
"Like what?" his heart skipped, thinking maybe he'd find out about the father now.  
"The whole place smells like camembert." she grimaced.  
Of all the things he might have expected, that wasn't one of them.  
"Why?" he asked, an incredulous smile splitting his face.  
"Pregnancy craving," she cringed. "I can't get enough of it."  
"Don't worry," he tried to hold in the laughter. "I'm familiar with the stuff."  
"Oh, nice," Marinette sipped her drink again. "I uh… I also get a visitor every once in a while, at night."  
"Oh?" Adrien knew where this was going, but he couldn't let that slip. "Who?"  
She lean in close to whisper.  
"Chat Noir," she told him, an apprehensive look on her face.  
"Really?" he whispered back and took a sip of his coffee. "Why?"  
Marinette seemed floored by the question.  
"He… uh…" she blushed, and a million thoughts, all of them questions, ran through Adrien's head. "He's… he…"  
"He what?" Adrien tried to ask in a way that didn't sound like begging.  
"He's… he's my…" she swallowed, and Adrien's heart started to falter. He needed an answer. "My… my very best friend."  
Adrien didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed.  
"I love him a lot," Marinette was still red. "But he doesn’t know how much, which… is a running theme in my life…"  
Her eyes flickered to him so briefly that if he hadn't been staring he would have missed it, and she bit her lip and Adrien felt his heart skip again.  
"So, I can only do so much for him the way we are right now," she stared into her coffee. "But giving him cuddles and the odd kiss is nice and it seems to make him happy, and I'll do it now and forever if I can."  
Adrien felt all warm and fuzzy.  
"I thought I heard a rumour he was finally dating Ladybug," he said as casually as he could manage and held his mug to his lips.  
Marinette frowned at this.  
"He hasn't told _anybody_ that," she murmured. "Neither have I…"  
Her blue eyes landed on his green ones with an expression he'd never seen on her face, but she sighed and shook her head.  
"When did you want to bring your stuff in?" she smiled, and Adrien's heart started beating again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yes, uhhh since pregnancies take long times, there are short timeskips with some of the events in this fic. i usually make it clear somewhere somehow where the chapter falls in the timeline of the pregnancy, but some chapters are like, directly after others, and some have long 'breaks' so keep an eye out for time indicators.  
> pls comment... i like hearing what u think???


	17. Unexpected Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien comes to Marinette's apartment.

Adrien knocked twice and shuffled the weight of his duffel bag. It had taken him all day, because he'd had no time to write his weekly letter until that evening, but he'd finally gathered enough clothes to take to Marinette's house and had Nino run him there before his gig that night.  
The muffled sound of an "I'll get it" reached through the door to his ears.  
Nathaniel's face was the one that greeted him, and Adrien blinked confusedly.  
"Hey, Adrien," Nathaniel said. "Come on in."  
Adrien shook his head and walked in. Marinette was on the couch. She got up to greet him.  
"How are you?" they hugged.  
"Yeah," he cleared his throat, but still only managed to croak the next word. "Tired."  
"Oh, wow," Marinette winced. "Do you want some tea or something?"  
"Some coffee would be great," he smiled. "Cream and two sugars."  
Marinette headed for the kitchen. Adrien watched her go. She was wearing a singlet and sleep shorts and had her hair in a loose ponytail.  
He'd never seen her so casual.  
It was nice.  
"How goes the modelling?" Nathaniel asked.  
"Exhausting," Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. "I have no time to myself."  
"Shit," Nathaniel offered. "Can you quit?"  
"I, uh," the green eyed boy had long considered abandoning the life his father had designed for him. But when Ladybug finally had their child, she would need his support, and being as rich as he could possibly be on his own merit would definitely not hurt, even if getting there did. He told himself it was worth the pain, and then he told Nathaniel as much: "I should keep at it for a while. I need the money."  
"For what?" Nathaniel asked.  
"Nath, you want anything?" Marinette unknowingly interrupted.  
"Just a soda, if that’s okay?" he replied.  
"Uh, an emergency, maybe?" Adrien baulked. "I just don't wanna have to rely on my dad's money forever, you know?"  
"Yeah, that's fair." Nathaniel nodded.  
"Okay, boys," Marinette stuck her head around the corner. "Dinner is served."  
Adrien dropped his bag in the doorway to the spare room and followed Nathaniel to the kitchen bar.  
A huge bowl of nachos awaited the three of them.  
Adrien sipped his coffee. It was just the right temperature and tasted perfect. His muscles noticeably untensed.  
"Good?" Marinette asked and crunched down on a corn chip.  
"Fantastic," he murmured, taking some of the dinner for himself. "Thank you so much."  
Marinette giggled.  
"No biggie," she sighed. "Did you wanna go to bed right after dinner? You look tanked."  
"I have to run an errand actually, but as soon as I get back I will." Adrien replied between mouthfuls.  
"What's the errand?" Nathaniel asked, sipping his cola.  
"Gotta deliver a letter." he said casually.  
"To who?" Marinette asked.  
"Uh," Adrien begged his body not to sweat. "A friend?"  
"Okay, cool." she nodded. "What time will you be out?"  
"I'll be out between 9 and 11." he said.  
"That's late," Nathaniel munched.   
"Yeah, it's nice being out in the night, though." he smiled. "The city's real quiet and all lit up."  
"It does look lovely." Marinette nodded.  
"What time should I head out?" Nathaniel asked her.  
"Stay as long as you want, Nath," she told him.  
"I'll wait to make sure Adrien gets back safe then." the redhead nodded.  
"Yeah," Marinette smiled. "We'll have plenty of time to finish our marathon."  
They finished dinner with idle chatter, and Adrien watched Marinette take away the cups and bowl and put them in the sink. Then she reached into the fridge to pull out an all-too-familiar brand of cheese, unwrapped it, and took a bite out of it. Just tore a chunk out of the side with her teeth, didn't even cut it or anything.  
It was a gesture he would be thinking about until he transformed to go for patrol, and he couldn't understand why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nath starts getting more involved from here on out c:


	18. Unexpected Affections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette grapple with feelings they didn't know they had.

At 11, the credits of the final episode of _Batman: the Animated Series_ rolled, and Adrien knocked on the door.  
"Coming," Nathaniel called.  
Marinette stood up with him, yawning, and they walked over.  
"Okay, bedtime," Adrien shivered despite his scarf. "It is seriously getting cold as hell out there."  
"Alrighty," Nathaniel let him past and turned to Marinette. "Guess that's my cue to go, huh?"  
"Thanks for coming over, Nathaniel," she hugged him.  
He smiled, kissed her forehead, mumbled a goodbye, and then he was gone.  
"Goodnight, Mari," Adrien hugged her, too. "If you need anything, come in and get me, okay?"  
"Okay," she giggled and turned off the lights.  
He left the spare room's door just slightly ajar.  
She rushed to her room, where Tikki awaited with this week's letter.  
She tore it open hungrily.

_Bugaboo_

_My job might be starting to kill me. I'm gonna be staying with a friend for a few days and that might lend me a break, but it's seriously like torture._   
_I have to keep at it though. I need to make the money, for both of us._   
_I'm so glad your friend's being so supportive. I hope I'll get to meet him one day. All of your friends, even._   
_I love you._

_Your Kitty_

_P.S. - Have you thought about names for the baby yet?_

Marinette smiled and tried to suppress her squeal of joy.  
"Oh, Chaton," She sighed and dropped onto the bed. "Goodnight, Kitty, wherever you are."  
Adrien heard her in the next room and blushed and smiled sillily as he lay in the dark.  
They slept with their thoughts on one another.

===

When Marinette woke up the next morning, she felt queasy. She put her treasured letter in its folder with the others and ran to the bathroom to puke.  
"Marinette?" Adrien asked, arriving at the door in seconds. "Are you okay?"  
"Yeah," she choked, hunched over the toilet. "Just morning sickness."  
"Here," Adrien gently pulled her hair into a bun behind her head. "Got an elastic?"  
She pulled it off her wrist and handed it to him.  
"Thank you," she groaned, and a second wave of vomit came.  
"It's okay," he sighed. "My fellow models vomit all the time. I know how unpleasant this must be."  
"You're amazing," she told him, confident the puking was over.  
"You're amazing," he corrected. "Do you need some water or something?"  
"No, no, just a shower," she said, and stood up on shaky legs. "Go have some coffee, I'll be out in a bit."  
He stepped out and closed the door behind him.  
Adrien went to make some coffee. When he opened the fridge for milk, he found Plagg about to consume some of Marinette's significant pile of camembert cheese.  
"Get out of there!" he hissed, snatching the black spirit. "I won't be able to explain if any of it goes missing!"  
"Marinette knows me," Plagg grumbled.  
"I very much doubt that," Adrien retorted and set the kwami on the counter. "Go visit Ladybug or something."  
"Okay, if you insist," Plagg shrugged, and floated away. Adrien went back for the milk he'd forgotten to grab, and when he looked, Plagg was gone.  
Marinette giggled from the bedroom and some unintelligible words were spoken.  
Silence for a while. He drank his coffee in the morning sunlight that flooded the lounge from the large window.  
"A-Adrien?"  
"Yeah?" he hurried to the door.  
Marinette was holding her towel to her chest. What must have been a dozen bras in a variety of styles and cuts had been tossed on the bed hastily.  
"What's, uh," he moved his head to stop from staring. "What's wrong?"  
"This is embarrassing." she hid her face behind the towel.  
"Come on, we knew this was gonna get awkward at some point." Adrien smiled, eyes locked on the railing of the fire escape out her bedroom window. "We can do this."  
"Y-yeah, we can... we can do this," she stuttered. "So… um…"  
He waited.  
"None of my bras fit any more." Marinette breathed in. "I'm too big for all of them now."  
"Oh," Adrien said, not having expected that. "Okay, so what do we do?"  
"Can I borrow one of your shirts?"

"Take any one you want," Adrien pulled out the six or seven shirts he'd brought with him and laid them on the spare bed.  
"Ladybug fan, huh?" she picked up the white tee with the Ladybug badge on the front.  
"It's kinda stupid," he admitted. "I've been in love with her for years."  
"Really?" Marinette, for some reason, was floored by this. She shook her head quickly and put the Ladybug shirt back down.  
"Do you not like Ladybug?" he asked, as she looked over the other choices.  
"I'm, uh," she picked up a black shirt with a green paw print over the heart. "Much more into Chat Noir, y'know?"  
"You gonna wear that one, then?" he swallowed.  
"Yeah, as long as it's okay?"  
"Of course," he smiled, gathering up the rest of the shirts.  
She'd slipped it on while his eyes were away. Adrien, taking in the sight of his gorgeous princess wearing his very personally styled and oversized shirt as if they'd just woken from a night of intimacy, had to remind himself that he was a taken man and about to be a father, and that Marinette was also in a relationship and about to be a mother. His cheeks refused to listen.  
"What?" she asked his silence. "Does it look bad?"  
"No, you're stunning," he blurted, and realised that may have inappropriate.  
She giggled and his resolve threatened to go up in flames.  
"Thanks," she grinned and her cheeks went pink. "Alya's going to take me out so I can get new bras. You'll have your shirt back soon."  
"Keep it, if you want," he almost began to sweat. "You'll probably wear it more than I do."  
"Thank you," she hugged the towel close and anxiously bit her lip through the smile.  
"Go get dressed," he encouraged her, and she left.  
He doubled over on the side of the bed.  
Marinette was too cute. But he belonged to Ladybug, didn't he?  
He pulled out his old school grid book that he'd never used in college math and turned to the page with all his notes on Ladybug, hoping it would remind his brain and heart of his love for her so they would stop trying to betray him for Marinette.  
But as he read the words, it only seemed to accomplish the opposite. Adrien had known for years how much Marinette was exactly like Ladybug, and the scrawls only reinforced those thoughts. Now, he was falling hard and fast for her. What was he going to do?  
He'd have to talk to Ladybug about it.  
"Alya's out the front already," Marinette stuck her head in the door. "Did you want us to get you anything?"  
Without breaking eye contact, she popped a triangle of camembert into her mouth.  
"What if I came with you?" he asked, gently closing his book.  
"Yeah, sure!" she nodded, and out they went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> plagg got marinette addicted to camembert off screen lol (that does get revealed later but like i just wanted to point it out now for clarification)
> 
> also this chapter and the next are heavy adrienette so have fun


	19. Unexpected Purchases

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien, Alya and Marinette go bra shopping.

Adrien was no stranger to ladies underwear, having been a model for almost ten years, but something about walking into the lingerie store with Marinette wearing his shirt and Alya's unreadable but confronting expressions made his heart stutter.  
He followed his companions with an uncomfortable expression. Where in the world did anyone find all this fucking lace?  
"Alright, girl, we need to get you at least three," Alya instructed. "We can buy you more later."  
"What about my old ones?"  
"They don't go back down," Alya informed.  
"I'll never fit any of them again?" Marinette pouted.  
"Not unless you get a reduction," the redhead nodded.  
"Aw, man," the black-haired girl sighed. "But some of those are my favourite!"  
"Then I'll get you the same but bigger for your birthday or something," Alya smirked. "Now, what are we thinking?"  
"I guess there are some that are out of the question, right?" Marinette pointed to a bra made entirely out of lace and mesh. Adrien looked away to avoid thinking about the highlighted item on his attractive friend, only to spot some different interesting items.  
"Absolutely. Sport bras, wireless padded bras, and front clippers will be your best friends for the next six months."  
"I thought you guys were my best friends," Marinette pouted dramatically.  
"As much as I'd want to," Alya booped her friend's nose. "I can’t be there to hold your boobs all day every day."  
Marinette giggled. Adrien almost smacked himself in the face for the thoughts that sprung into his mind.  
"So, what colours are we thinking?" Alya picked up something pink. Adrien didn’t dare look hard enough at it to see what it was. "Wanna go with the ladybug look?"  
"Ladybug is your thing," Marinette went for something the same blue as Nathaniel's eyes. "I much prefer the Chat Noir style."  
"So I see," Alya chuckled, pinching the oversized shirt playfully. "Are we going for obvious Chat Noir, or subtle Chat Noir?"  
"Let's go subtle, in case it raises questions." Marinette began to walk between the other rows.  
"Who's going to see enough of your underwear to ask questions?" Alya raised an eyebrow.  
Marinette went red.  
Adrien also went red. He'd found Marinette in her underwear a few times as Chat. He was trying very hard to focus on this white bra, but it wasn't working.  
"Adrien," Alya snapped her fingers at him. "You been staring at that thing for five minutes now, what's up?"   
"I, uh," he stuttered. Why. Why did he agree to come here? He was useless here, even more useless than he'd predicted. He'd only wanted to hang around Marinette, and now he was having horribly inappropriate thoughts about a pregnant woman he wasn't dating in a lingerie store where she was trying to buy bras. He had to be cursed or something.  
"Ooh, Alya, I found one!" the words injected relief directly into his bloodstream.  
Two rows away, Marinette held a pink and white sport bra up in triumph.  
"Excellent, that's a sport bra down." they hi-fived.  
"Cool," Adrien said on reflex.  
"Alright, let's check out the wirelesses." Alya walked them away.  
Adrien, still feeling useless, decided to search for something specific. Maybe if he set himself a task, he could focus and not get distracted by the unintentional intimacy of it all.  
Actually, Ladybug was really similar to Marinette in physique, maybe she'd need a new bra too?  
Adrien immediately began the hunt for a ladybug-themed bra, stalking through the aisles with practiced eyes. He passed the girls inspecting some padded white bras with coloured lace.  
"Yeah, I'm liking the blue," Alya said, hand on her chin as Marinette juggled the prospective purchases. "But this is a really nice green."  
"It's the colour of Chat's eyes," Marinette looked at it intently.  
"The blue's the colour of yours, though," Adrien said before he could stop himself.  
Marinette looked at him with pink-dusted cheeks.  
"Sorry," he panicked. "I didn't mean to-"  
"No, no, it's okay," she laughed nervously. "You're right. I think I like the blue and white anyway. Green's better on black."  
God, how did she manage to make his mistakes go away so smoothly? Marinette was incredible.  
"Alright, two down." Marinette did a little fist pump in the air.  
Adrien smiled and scanned the store again, where he spied a wall rack he hadn't inspected yet and headed towards it.  
"Ooh, the expensive section," Alya tapped Marinette's arm. "I wonder what Mr Agreste is up to?"  
"Please, Mr Agreste is my father, call me Adrien." Adrien said on auto-pilot.  
He froze in place. This was the worst day ever.  
Alya laughed incredulously as the two girls approached him.  
"Would I call you anything else?" Marinette stifled a giggle and gently patted his shoulder.  
Adrien smiled gratefully and turned his attention to the bra rack.  
Exactly what he was looking for. Ladybug (and Chat Noir) themed bras. A whole collection.  
He squinted at the tags on the bras Marinette was already holding and fished around a bit.  
"How about this?" he asked, holding up a front clasping black bra with green lace and green kitty paws dotting the fabric.  
"That's adorable?" Marinette gasped and took it from his hands with appreciative eyes. She grimaced as she checked the tag. "But... it's way too expensive."  
"We can get the white one with the green lace, then," Alya patted her shoulder.  
"I'll buy it for you." Adrien said, the first time here that his words had been entirely on purpose and intentional and meant.  
"No, I couldn't ask you to do that," Marinette shook her head.  
"I have to buy one for my girlfriend anyway-" he said, and realised his mistake.  
"You're dating?" Alya gaped.  
"You're… dating?" Marinette asked in a more hushed tone.  
"It's uh…" he began to sweat. "It's, um…"  
Definitely cursed. How was he going to worm his way out of this?  
"I'm… well…" Adrien breathed heavily. "It's complicated… she's…"  
"Are you okay?" Alya raised an eyebrow.  
"So," Marinette cleared her throat. "What were you going to buy her?"   
Adrien could have kissed her in that moment. He very much wanted to.  
"Uh, a bra like this one," his hands were shaking as he took down a ladybug counterpart to the one he'd offered Marinette.  
"That's real sweet of you," Marinette smiled.  
Oh, god, he loved her. He was in love with Marinette.  
"I'm going to go pay for these," he said, and left before she could protest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was SO much fun to write, ngl  
> we also got some alayanette for the soul here, dedicated to xan, my favourite ladybug friend  
> and i love this dynamic between adrien and marinette where she helps him be less socially awkward. its cute imo


	20. Unexpected Giftings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emotions are stirred in the Marinette household.

"Tuesdays are your letter night, Adrien," Tikki shook her head. "I can't just carry notes back and forth all the time."  
"I'm breaking the rule this once," he told her. "Because I got her a gift and I couldn't wait any longer."  
"Fine, but I won't do this off-schedule again," she warned, snatching the package from him and turning to float away. "Goodnight."  
"Goodnight, Tikki." Chat waved, and took a large loop around the city to throw off the scent of his trail to Marinette's apartment, as was standard patrol procedure. He detransformed in the alleyway three buildings down and walked to the building in the progressively chillier late-fall air.  
When Adrien got in the door, the same as two days ago, Nathaniel was on the couch talking to Marinette. When he greeted them, the redhead stood and bid Marinette farewell with a kiss to the forehead. She smiled and waved at him from the doorway.  
"Are you and Nathaniel a couple now?" Adrien asked, because for all he knew, the father had died in the last ten minutes and left Marinette alone.  
"What?" she squeaked. She was adorable and Adrien needed to stop betraying his lady with his thoughts like this. "No, no… Nath and I are very close and I don't mind kissing him a little, like I would with Chat."  
"Chat Noir gets to kiss you?" Adrien asked, and, dear god, there was not a more ungraceful way he could have communicated his feelings on that revelation.  
"Of course he does," she cocked her head. "As much as he wants. Kisses are nice and I don’t mind sharing them with people close to me."  
"Do Alya and Nino get to kiss you too?" Adrien swallowed some air.  
"Haven't had the opportunity," she giggled, heading for the fridge. "With Nino, anyway. Alya and I have kissed before."  
She pulled out a chunk of Camembert and frowned before eating it.  
"Plagg must have eaten it all again," she whispered and shrugged.  
Did he hear her correctly? Did… did she really know Plagg? When would the kwami have found time to meet her and become her friend to the point she was fine with the theft of her own cheese?  
"I'll have to buy more tomorrow," she shook her head and walked over to him. "Bedtime, Adrien."  
"Mmm, okay," he hummed, and planted a hesitant smooch on her temple, testing the waters.  
They both went pink.  
"Was that… was that okay?" he whispered.  
She nodded shyly and hugged his side briefly.  
"Night," Marinette she murmured, hiding her smile with her hands and walking away.  
Adrien watched her go and felt his heart rate reach maximum overdrive as his brain whispered to follow her and kiss her again, better and more and-  
Adrien dug his nails into his forearm until he'd turned off the lights and walked into the spare room. He was having absolutely none of that.  
He heard a gasp and some soft thumps through the wall, and then, after a few torturous seconds of anxiety, some giggling.  
Unbeknownst to Adrien, Marinette had been delivered his present.  
She tore open her second letter that week.

_Bug_

_I'm sorry if this is a weird thing to send. I can only hope it fits, since I don't know your size, exactly. The receipt's there if you need to get it changed._  
_My good friend is also pregnant, and she needed to buy more bras, so I went with her and I… saw this and thought you might like a new one, too._  
_She's really lovely and amazing and I've been spending so much time with her, since she needs her friends to help her through her situation. I… think I might be falling in love with her, but I dont know how I'm supposed to be feeling right now. I wish I could see you, maybe you'd have some advice or something._  
_I miss you, Bug. And I still love you till the ends of the earth, no matter my feelings for my friend._

_Forever Yours_  
_Chat Noir_

Marinette smiled softly.  
" _Tikki_ ," she pleaded.  
"Don't worry," Tikki told her immediately. "Trust me, this is all going to turn out fine."  
"I should see him." Marinette begged. "Just a little time to stay his fears, give him some encouragement."  
"Fine. Tomorrow night." Tikki sighed. "But this is the absolute last time, because once you start showing you will not be transforming."  
"What if there's an akuma?"  
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Tikki waved a flipper dismissively. "I'm going to deliver Chat the message."  
She floated out the window and up into the sky and Marinette hugged the ladybug bra to her mildly sore chest.

===

Tikki rolled her eyes as she phased through the window, recognizing instantly what her partner's holder was up to. She understood why he was doing what he was doing, but that never made it any less amusing.  
"That's very inappropriate, Adrien," she teased.  
Adrien froze and said nothing as he turned his head toward her with startled eyes and a dropped jaw. The shame consumed his face. Tikki felt that was punishment enough.  
"Hands where I can see them." she sneered.  
Adrien wanted to die. He pulled both hands out of the blanket and laid them at his sides.  
Tikki rolled her eyes and tried not to burst into laughter.  
"You're meeting Ladybug tomorrow night, same place, same time." she huffed. "This is the last time you will get to see her until you figure out who each other are, understood?"  
Adrien nodded.  
"As you were," Tikki snickered, and flew away.  
"That wasn't who I expected to catch you tonight," Plagg stifled his chuckle.  
"Shut the fuck up." Adrien groaned, face buried in his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's very inappropriate, adrien. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° ) dont worry thats the most nsfw that happens and i made it so vague i dont even think it counts lmao  
> also adrien being completely and innocently emotionally inept is my lifeblood
> 
> ALSO HEY THANKS FOR 1300+ HITS? I LOVE ALL OF YOU???


	21. The Unexpected Chat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat holds his Lady for the last time in a while.

Like she had almost two months before, Marinette drove with Nathaniel to the park.  
"It's cold, take my jacket," Nathaniel said.  
Marinette smiled and did as he'd suggested. She pecked him on the cheek and got out.  
She waited till she transformed to put on the jacket for best warmth results.  
Chat was wearing an awful looking jumper and a scarf when he arrived. The scarf was blue and looked familiar.  
He didn't even say hello. He just hugged her.  
"Hello, Chaton." she smiled.  
"Hey," he whispered. "This jacket smells like one of my classmates."  
"He probably was one of your classmates," Ladybug giggled. "How are you?"  
"I'm a little freaked out." he admitted. "Winter's here and you're going to be sick and cold and I'm getting so much closer to my friend and-"  
"Slow down, kitty," she stroked his cheek. "Slow down."  
"I'm worried about you."  
"I know, but you don't have to be." she said. "I have my friends and Plagg and Tikki, and I will be okay."  
"I'm worried about myself." Chat whispered. "What if I fall in love with Marinette?"  
"It's Marinette, huh?" she smiled.  
"Oh, no, I'm sorry, I-"  
"Kitty," she said sternly. "You are allowed to fall in love with Marinette."  
He seemed taken aback by this.  
"But-"  
"I don't own you, Chat Noir," she tutted and booped his nose. "I love you, but you're allowed to love Marinette, too. And if what you say about her is true, she may need some love right now."  
"But what about you?" he asked, unsure.  
"Well, kitty," Marinette sighed. "I love you, and I love the boy who drove me here as well, and the boy who's staying with me for a few days and the girl who took me shopping. You are my partner, you are irreplaceable, but youre allowed to love people other than me. I'm giving you permission."  
"I could never leave you," he said, an unreadable look on his face.  
"I'm not asking you to," Ladybug kissed him. He was receptive. "I'm saying you can love her and me."  
"Both of you?"  
"Yes."  
"… are you sure?"  
"Definitely." she nodded.  
He kissed her again and held her tight.  
"You'll still love me?"  
"I'll never, ever stop loving you."  
Chat Noir nuzzled into her neck and purred and she held him in the cold air.  
"Ever. I promise."  
"Do you love anyone else?"  
The words hung.  
"I love Adrien," she said. "And Alya and Nino and Nathaniel."  
"They're all good people." he said, and tried to ignore the way his heart raced when she'd said his name.  
"They're wonderful." she murmured. "Just like you."  
"We have to go home, don't we?" Chat whispered.  
"Yeah, we do." Ladybug whispered back.  
"I love you," he said, breaking away. "I love you and the only thing stopping me from kidnapping you and taking you home is that Tikki would get very mad at me."  
"I love you," she replied as she reached with arms rejected only out of necessity. "I love you and I wait for the day I'll see your face again."  
And then Chat Noir was gone, and Ladybug turned and detransformed and walked back to the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is super short BUT!!! BUT We've reached the halfway mark! im thinking about changing my update schedule also since things really pick up after this and i kinda want people to really get into the first half before shit starts going down but. meh. this will probably never reach like... serendipitous fate or weight of jade or tendencies or ladybugs and the bees level of popularity, but a trash pile can dream right?  
> anyway. enjoy, comment if u like, see you next time.  
> (and if anyone's interested, my ladybug blog on tumblr is universeenthusiast so you could check that out too c: )


	22. 22: Unexpected Partners (Collector's Edition)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An average day for the squad.

Marinette and Alya walked out of the doctors hand in hand, rugged up from head to toe. Nino awaited them in the car. There wasn't snow yet, but it sure felt like there should be.  
"Well?" he asked as Marinette carefully lowered herself into the passenger seat.  
"All clear for now, but the fatigue isn't going to stop." Alya offered as the engine sputtered to life.  
"And baby's ok?" Nino pulled out into the streets.  
"Baby's perfect for the five month mark," Marinette smiled and leant her head on the headrest. "Can I go home and take a nap now?"  
"Would you like company for this nap?" Alya asked as buildings and people wearing ten layers of clothing passed the windows.  
"Cuddle pile?" Marinette suggested.  
"Hard yes," Nino nodded while he waited for the green light.  
"Gotta be careful of the bump though," Alya reminded from the back seat.  
"Of course," and they had arrived at the building.  
They went upstairs and Marinette fumbled with her keys.  
"One sec!" called a voice.  
"Adrien?" Nino raised an eyebrow as the door opened.  
"You're early!" Marinette squeaked.  
"Yeah, I-" Adrien shivered from the hall air and ushered them in. "Come into the warm."  
They convened on the couch, shedding their excess layers.  
"Father arranged an overseas trip and he said I couldn't avoid it as long as I was under his roof." Adrien brought them hot chocolates he seemed to have made in preparation for their arrival. "So I left before he could drag me away from the country."  
"Is he gonna be mad?" Marinette looked into his eyes worriedly, but he only smiled.  
"I don't care if he is," Adrien pressed his lips to her forehead quickly. "No way am I leaving you in winter."  
Then he went to retrieve some camembert for her from her pile in the fridge.  
"Thank you for the hot chocolate," Alya sipped the beverage.  
"Yeah, thanks dude," Nino raised his mug as if to toast.  
"Tastes wonderful," Marinette mumbled as she started to drift off.  
Adrien waved the camembert slice under her nose and she perked up enough to take it and pop it into her mouth. She began to drink it faster in the face of her oncoming sleep.  
"We were gonna do a cuddle pile this afternoon," Nino mentioned. "Did you wanna join?"  
"Yeah, if you'll have me," Adrien smiled.  
"Oh, we'd love to have you," Alya winked.  
Nino and Adrien both went red and Marinette began to nod off again.  
"Oh, you boys are so easily flustered," Alya shook Marinette's arm gently.  
Marinette finished the rest of her cocoa in one gulp and put the mug down.  
"Sleep," she groaned.  
"Alrighty then, Mari," Adrien walked over to open the bedroom door. "Come get comfy."  
Alya walked Marinette through and performed that magic trick girls did to remove their bras without moving their shirts and he and Nino watched in wonder as first Alya's and then Marinette's bras were discarded to the floor.  
"Whoa, that looks like it was expensive," Nino pointed to Marinette's fancy red and black bra.  
Adrien's heart skipped. It was the same as the one he'd sent Ladybug.  
"It was a gift," Marinette crawled into the sheets. "From the dad."  
That just made Adrien's heart stop beating altogether.  
"Oh, stepped up, has he?" Nino slid in beside her, putting his glasses beside Alya's on the bedside table.  
"Hey," Alya poked him in the ribs.  
"It's my turn to be next to Marinette," Nino stuck his tongue out.  
"Uh, where am I going?" Adrien asked, focusing on the task at hand.  
Marinette opened her arms and he got into the bed to hug her.  
"Move over," Alya grumbled and clambered over him.  
She nestled herself between Marinette's side and his chest, and Marinette fell asleep as soon as everyone was still for long enough.  
"She's cute like this," Nino smiled and whispered his words.  
"She's always cute," Alya laid her arm across Marinette's hips, below the bump of her stomach.  
"She's always gorgeous," Adrien corrected them both.  
"You saps," Alya shook her head, and the tips of her hair tickled Adrien's stomach below where his shirt ended.  
And they fell asleep in the cuddle pile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yes i am getting shameless with the poly fluff
> 
> i am going to be updating every wednesday and saturday fom now on. i love all of you, thanks so much for reading hhhhhh i really hope people like where the story ends up going.


	23. Unexpected Considerations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat visits Marinette again.

_Chaton_

_It's five months! We've passed halfway and we're going to be parents in the spring. I'm excited._  
_Everyone is being so good to me. Our baby is going to have a lovely family._  
_I've thought about some names, finally, but I can't decide on any. Perhaps Paris, since that's how we met, but that might be too cliché._  
_The baby's started moving, Chat. I can't wait for us to meet them._  
_I love you._

_Your Lady_

Adrien clung the letter to his chest in the biting cold.  
Tikki had already left.  
He was staying still because he wanted to conserve his energy. He was deciding whether to visit Marinette as Chat or just take her somewhere as Adrien tomorrow.  
A chilling wind blew his scarf sideways and smacked him in the face with it. He decided to just go as Chat. It had been a while, right?  
When Chat Noir reached the window to Marinette's bedroom, the metal of the fire escape creaked in the cold.  
He peered inside to find her already snuggled into bed.  
He reached down to open the window, but it was a little stuck, and it took more effort and more noise to open than he would have liked.  
He crawled in to gently beckon his princess and gauge if he should leave it for the night, but he was stopped mid-step by a right hook to the nose.  
Unhurt, since he was practically invulnerable, but still knocked back a bit by the force, he made a noise of protest and turned to his attacker.  
A sleepy-looking Nino was frowning at him.  
"Chat?" he hissed, eyes darting to Marinette and back. "Shit, sorry dude. Thought you were a burglar."  
"No, no, it's fine," Chat waved his hands and turned to close the window before it chilled the whole room. "I usually come earlier than this, I should have called to see if it was alright to come over."  
"Kitty?" Marinette asked sleepily, sitting up.  
"Hey, princess," he dropped to his knees by the side of the bed.  
"You're late," she mumbled, scooting slowly to him and putting her fingers through his cold hair.  
"Sorry," he whispered, leaning into her touch. "It's real cold out there, I've been slow all night."  
"Hang on, I gotta use the bathroom," Marinette grumbled, and Chat stood up to help her do the same.  
"Dude," Nino said, leaning on the door frame. "You look tanked, want a coffee?"  
"Yes, please," Chat begged. "Cream and two sugars."  
He followed Nino to the doorway and out to the lounge, keeping an eye on the door.  
"How is Marinette doing?"  
"Not fantastic," Nino sighed, getting down a mug. "She vomits everything unless she sleeps right after it, but she does always manage to keep down that cheese she eats. She's tired and sluggish all the time and she has to pee like every hour."  
"Fuck," Chat commented and watched his companion dump some sugar into the mug.  
"Well, she and the baby are alive and they're staying that way," Nino said resolutely, dropping a spoonful of cream into the steamy concoction. "And she'll be a lot better in spring."  
He handed Chat the coffee and the black-clad superhero sipped it gratefully.  
"Any word on the father?"  
"He's been sending weekly letters, but she won't let us read them," Nino started putting things back into cupboards and the fridge. "He also brought her a real expensive bra? Other than that, we have no info."  
Chat frowned into his coffee.  
"Adrien's got the right idea though," his companion sighed. Chat turned his attention back to Nino, curious as to what he had to say. "The father doesn't matter if he isn't trying. Marinette's got me and Adrien and Nathaniel and Alya to do his job."  
"Can you just replace him, though?" Adrien wondered.  
"You bet your super-ass we can," Nino pointed a finger gun at him and winked.  
Chat chuckled.  
"Yeah," Nino waxed serious again. "Functionally, sure. We can be Marinette's partners, take her to the doctors, buy her stuff, hold her hair when she's sick, keep her warm, sleep with her, kiss her, hell, one of us could even marry her to give her and the kid a solid idea of a partner and father in the absence of mister mystery dad. But…"  
Chat finished his coffee and put it down.  
"Can we replace mister mystery dad, like, emotionally?" Nino asked quietly, taking the mug and putting it in the sink. "Maybe not. We can do our best to love her, and we will, but if she's convinced that her heart belongs to the dude… we can't save her from heartbreak, y'know?"  
"Would you marry her?" Adrien asked his friend after a moment.  
"Definitely," Nino replied without skipping a beat. "So would Alya, or Nathaniel, guaranteed."  
"What about Adrien?" Chat asked.  
"Maybe?" Nino shrugged. "I mean, we love him to bits, but the dude's kinda oblivious to romance stuff. Couldn't tell Marinette had a crush on him for years."  
"Yeah?" Chat looked to Marinette's bedroom door.  
"She was head over heels," Nino laughed. "But we all got older and she got more chill about it. She still loves him. We all kinda just love each other, nowadays."  
Chat smiled.  
"Is Chat still here?" a sleepy Marinette squinted in the light.  
"Still here, princess," he got up and walked to her.  
"Come to bed," she grumbled and tugged at his arm.  
"Night dudes," Nino disappeared into the spare room.  
"Night," Chat called and followed Marinette to the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love the headcanon that nino is precisely aware of how attractive adrien/chat are but is only bave enough to flirt with chat
> 
> every character in ml is bi (except juleka whos a lesbian and max whos gay) sorry i dont make the rules
> 
> were almost at 2000 hits yall im sceamin than k you so much
> 
> tune in wednesdays and saturdays for new chapters. hope ur havin a great day


	24. Unexpected Affections (Bass Boosted)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Chat Noir wake up.

When Chat Noir woke the next morning, he found himself wrapped around a dozing and peaceful Marinette. It was warm and soft and he never wanted to move.  
He took in her pale face and her messy hair and noticed for the first time that she was sleeping in his shirt. His paw print sat over her heart. He pressed his lips to her cheek softly.  
Marinette mumbled and stirred from her sleep.  
"Morning, Chaton," she smiled and yawned.  
"Morning, Princess," he whispered. "Sleep okay?"  
"Miraculously," she sighed. "Oh, I could stay like this forever."  
Adrien hummed in agreement and nuzzled her jaw.  
Marinette gasped softly.  
"What?" he asked.  
"It's moving," she smiled. "Here, gimme your hand."  
She guided his palm to her rounded belly, where she'd pulled up the shirt. Adrien felt the tiny twitches from her skin through the suit and made a little gasp like she had. She sighed and he rested his head in her neck, eyes on the way her pale hand rested on his black gloves.  
"I wish this were my baby," he murmured. Marinette resisted the urge to say 'it is'.  
Realising the implications of this, Adrien immediately tried to clarify.  
"I mean the baby Ladybug is having," he blurted at Marinettes comical expression. "Not that I'm not enjoying this or that I wouldn't have a baby with you-"  
Mother _fuck_. He choked on his own stupid verbal mistakes, and felt his face heat up.  
Marinette only laughed.  
"Chaton," she kissed his cheek. "It's okay. I know you're worried about Ladybug."  
Adrien swallowed some air.  
"But your baby is fine," Marinette looked into his eyes. "And Ladybug will be too. She has her friends, right?"  
"Yeah." he nodded. "How do you manage to make everything okay? Every time I do something wrong, you save me."  
"Someone's got to," she squeezed his hand, which was still on her belly. "And you know, I'm not the most graceful myself. I get it."  
Chat Noir smiled.  
"I love you," he said, and his heartbeat quickened.  
"I love you, too, kitty," she smiled.  
"If you guys are awake, it's breakfast time," a sleepy, grumpy Nino poked his head in the door.  
"Okay, okay," Marinette sat up. "Let me pee first."  
"Hey, either of you know where Adrien is?" Nino asked, frowning. "He was supposed to be back last night but he wasn't in bed with me this morning and he isn't answering his phone."  
Chat Noir sat up straight and tried to avoid visibly panicking.  
"Sorry, Marinette," he called in the direction of the bathroom. "I can't stay for breakfast, I gotta get home!"  
"Aww, Kitty," she poked her head around the door, and Nino, still doing the same, raised a questioning eyebrow.  
"I'll be back eventually, I promise," he smiled, opening the window and kicking a leg out. "Love you both, bye!"  
And in under a literal second, he was gone.  
"Do you think he meant you and the baby or you and me?" Nino asked after a moment more, looking over to Marinette.  
"I don't know," she giggled. "Could be either, why?"  
"Oh," Nino said, his cheeks going a little pink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yes remember when i said all the things i write end up marichat and how i was only slightly mad about that?
> 
> im really not mad about it at all anymore :3
> 
> also heavily implied adrino/ninoir bc theyre Good.
> 
> ljbrw im LATE im so sorry... i might put up two on saturday to make up for it... ily all


	25. Unexpected Implications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien comes home.

"Sorry!" Adrien yelled as he burst in the door.  
"Dude, chill, it's too early to yell." Nino squinted in the dawn light flooding the kitchen from the lounge window and sipped his coffee. "Where were you, though?"  
"I uh, visited a friend," Adrien shrugged.  
"Sick," Nino nodded. "You missed Chat Noir visiting Mari."  
"Darn," Adrien offered humorously, and Nino chuckled. He walked over and began constructing his own coffee. "Where's Marinette?"  
"Shower." Nino sighed. "She vomited breakfast."  
"Was it bad this time?"  
"Nope, regular amount."  
Adrien sighed and took a gulp of his coffee.  
"Any plans for today?"  
"Not really?" Nino said. "Mari's bored as shit but she shouldn't leave the house for just whatever, y'know? Thought I'd think of something overnight, but instead I punched Chat Noir in the face, talked about marrying Marinette, then tried to call you fifty times."  
"Sorry, my phone died." Adrien shrugged. "But why were you talking about marrying Marinette?"  
"Like," Nino made a thinking face and pushed his glasses up his nose. "To help with the kid. Mystery dad is keeping his distance and it'd be better if the kid had a real second parent, y'know?"  
Adrien thought about this.  
"We don't have to, really," Nino sighed and put his coffee mug down. "But there's like, legal benefits and shit, and if she's married she'll get less funny looks from strangers."  
"You're not wrong." Adrien mumbled and put both their empty mugs in the sink. "But aren't you and Alya a thing?"  
"Alya could marry Marinette if that's what they decide," Nino shrugged. "Or Nathaniel, or you. Or, none of us have to. The world's crumbling around us, dude, things like who signs a paper and wears a ring are trivial. What's important is that we all love her, and we're doing that, and mystery dad isnt."  
"How did Chat take it?" Adrien asked, rinsing the mugs.  
"I think he agreed?" Nino shrugged. "Dude, he is so cute with Mari, you should have seen it. You can tell he cares a lot about her."  
"Yeah?"  
"When they woke up, they had this sweet talk about Ladybug and having babies and Chat told her he loved her twice before he left." Nino grinned and shook his head and stretched his arms toward the roof. "I think he said Ladybug's pregnant, which would explain why no-ones seen her in months."  
"I hope she's okay," Adrien said, searching the fridge for breakfast leftovers.  
"Me too," Nino said. "But they're a superhero couple. If they can save Paris for five years, they can make it through a pregnancy."  
Adrien smiled.  
"Actually they might become a trio, if Chat keeps trying to adopt Marinette and her baby-to-be," Nino laughed. "Imagine, knowing a girl who's dating two superheros and has two kids with them."  
"That would be interesting, wouldn't it?" Adrien blushed at the idea of coming home to two babies and two lovely girlfriends to hug and kiss and watch movies with.  
"Morning boys," Marinette smiled as she emerged from her room. "What are we talking about?"  
Adrien couldn't respond. He was looking at her dress with wonder and the remains of a blush on his cheeks. It was black, with lime green strips for the collar, empire-style waistband and hem. It stopped at her knees, and there was a bow on the right side of her neck. It was very Chat Noir.  
"Talking about you and your overnight visitor," Nino smiled.  
"Oh?" she sat across from them on the kitchen bar. "What about him?"  
"If you started dating him," Nino said. "You'd be dating two superheroes."  
"Yeah, I guess I would?" She tapped her chin with a finger. "I wonder if I'd know their secret identities?"  
"I mean, it'd be kinda hard if you didn't," Adrien said, a pang of guilt hitting his chest.  
"True." something similarly disheartened flashed across Marinette's expression. "I wonder if I'll ever know Chat's secret identity?"  
"I'll bet you know him already," Adrien said.  
Nino and Marinette both contemplated this.  
"So," Nino cleared his throat. "What are we thinking to do today?"  
"I have energy for once, so let's not waste it." Marinette said. "Let's go visit my parents."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my dialogue style feels Funky for some reason. is it ok? does my dialogue feel weird or at all difficult to take in to you guys? hhhhh Insecurities Amirite
> 
> also more nino because i love him and so do adrien and marinette and alya
> 
> kjwakhnbgwk thank you for reading. i dont thank people enough tbh. thank you, readers, ily
> 
> see u on wednesday!!


	26. Unexpected Threats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette visits her parents.

When Adrien, Nino and Marinette walked through the door to the bakery, Sabine gasped and called to Tom.  
"Come on up, kids," she smiled and beckoned them through the door.  
"Hi, mama," Marinette kissed her cheeks.  
"You're getting big!" Sabine praised, gently resting a hand on Marinette's belly. "Moving yet?"  
Marinette nodded proudly.  
"Come, eat something." their hostess walked to the fridge and produced some filled pastries to hand them. "Sorry they're cold."  
" _Xièxiè_ ," Adrien said gratefully, reaching up to steal one away from the platter.  
"Ah, _bù kèqì_ ," Sabine's eyes twinkled.  
Marinette smiled. She knew this was something her mother loved about Adrien, a shared language. Something special she didn't encounter in anyone in Paris but him, and, once, oddly, Chat Noir. She loved the way it made her mother light up, but the familiar shame that came with not knowing her own native language crept in all the same. She'd have to fire up a Duolingo course or something.  
Nino ate his pastry in one bite. Marinette nibbled slowly, hoping she might keep it down.  
"Delicious Mrs. C." Nino said.  
"Sabine," Sabine said.  
Nino made an uncomfortable face but her mother only chuckled.  
Adrien asked her something in Mandarin and they began to chat.  
"You okay, Mari?" Nino asked her quietly as words they couldn't understand flew between their hostess and their friend.  
"Yeah, not queasy," she finished the last nibble of her pastry. "I should keep this down."  
Adrien laughed heartily and Sabine grinned.  
"What?" Nino frowned.  
"Puns," he said appreciatively. "Your family is so great, Marinette."  
"That we are," Tom appeared from the stairs.  
"Papa," Marinette squeaked. "I didn't know you'd be joining us!"  
"I put up the 'back in 15' sign." he walked over. "I had to see my baby girl!"  
"Uh," she laughed nervously as his eyes fell upon her obvious condition.  
Tom went silent, and the large man flicked his gaze between Nino and Adrien.  
"Shit," Nino whispered very quietly behind Marinette's head.  
"Marinette," Tom said in a tone that did not match his posture. "Who is the father?"  
Marinette puked and caught the vomit in her mouth.  
"Oh, dear," Sabine hurried around the kitchen bar and helped Marinette off the stool. "Bathroom."  
Sabine waited, having strategically placed herself between the boys and her husband.  
"Either of you want to tell me why my baby girl is vomiting?"  
Adrien swallowed.  
"We don't know who the father is, sir," Nino's voice hiked up several pitches.  
"Marinette won't tell us," Adrien was sweating profusely. He really couldn't bring himself to defend himself from Marinette's father, and Tom could probably kill him.  
"You haven't met him?" Tom's voice terrified them.  
"We don't know, we swear," Nino begged. "We don't know where he is or why he won't see her."  
"We're doing our best to take care of her," Adrien pleaded.  
Tom opened his mouth, and both boys closed their eyes and waited for the worst. Nino felt Adrien grab his hand, but he honestly didn’t mind.  
"Papa," Marinette's voice rang clear, stern and heart-jumpstarting. "Stop scaring my boys."  
Adrien shuddered and Nino began to breathe again.  
"Baby girl," Tom opened his giant, terrifying arms. "I only want to know you've been treated right."  
"And I have been," Marinette hugged him gently. "All my friends are being so good to me."  
"And the father?" Tom frowned.  
"He's seen me and he's sending me letters," she reassured him. "He's doing his best, but there's something stopping us from being together."  
"What is it?"  
"I can't tell you, papa," Marinette kissed his cheek. "Just know that we're working on it."

Before they left, Adrien made sure to mention something to Mr Dupain.  
"Don't worry, sir," he smiled cheerily as he waved from the door. "You're first in line to beat him up when we find him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had so much fun with the whole "adrien wants to Fight mystery dad despite *being* mystery dad". there s just something so bitterly satisfying about watching this stupid couple kick their own asses for not just telling each other who they are.
> 
> anyway pls talk to me in comments ily all and see u on saturday :*


	27. Unexpected Company (Dubstep Remix)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter is a hard time for Marinette.

Another month passed. A month of letters, of doctor's check-ups, of vomiting in the mornings and wearing the same five or six outfits on end. She was dropping as many hints as she could in her letters, and Chat was letting some things slip in his, too, but there were no definitive results yet.  
Marinette found herself feeling more and more tired and useless, and despite the company of the two loving Kwamis, more and more vulnerable and alone.  
"Marinette?" someone called from the door. "I brought Camembert."  
She tried to stand up, but found she was heavier than she'd expected and thumped back down.  
"You're getting big, junior," she complained, and yelled to her visitor. "One moment!"  
After a second try, she was up, and she stumbled toward the doorway.  
Nathaniel stood, a little wet from the rain, holding some plastic bags and a backpack.  
"Hey, Nath," she smiled and let him in. "Sorry, It's getting hard to move around."  
"I can cancel," he told her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "One word and I'll cancel and I can be here all night."  
"No, no," Marinette smiled and blushed. "Go to the meeting, Nathaniel. I'll still be here when you get back."  
"Are you sure?" his teal eyes searched her and glanced to her belly.  
"Yes," she huffed. "This is your future we're talking about."  
"And this is yours," Nathaniel moved his cold hand to her warm cheek. "One of those is more important right now."  
"Go on, Nathaniel," Marinette shook her head. "Before I change my mind."  
Her redheaded friend nodded hesitantly.  
"There's your cheese and some more bread," he pointed to the bags. "And chocolate. And my phone is fully charged and it will be on until I come back tomorrow, so you can call me at any moment, okay?"  
He hugged her.  
"The weather's going to be awful, so stay warm." Nathaniel murmured. "And I swear if you need anything, I will turn my car around and come back to you."  
"I know you would," she whispered to him. "Please drive safe."  
Nathaniel held her face in his hands.  
"Can I…?" he breathed.  
"Yeah," Marinette murmured.  
They kissed softly.  
"I love you, Marinette," he told her. "I'll see you soon."  
"I love you, too," she swallowed, and watched him leave.  
Nathaniel had lived up to his words. He was there in the night when she needed company and on days no-one else could come to help her get things done. He brought her shopping and drove her places without question. He talked to her about anything and everything, and never asked for more than a simple kiss in return, and even that had been only recently.  
She meant it when she said she loved him, and now she was alone and cold and had to stop from trying to run down the hall after him and begging him to stay.  
Nathaniel needed to go to this conference. It made his chances of promotion much higher.  
Marinette pilfered one of the four whole camembert wheels Nathaniel had brought her and shared it with Plagg, who had been with her all day and was also about to bid her farewell, while she put the rest in the fridge.  
"See ya, kid," he munched. "Take care."  
"Bye," she pouted.  
The apartment began to feel very cold.  
She undressed, put on her favourite shirt (Adrien's Chat Noir shirt) and got into bed with two extra blankets.  
"Marinette," Tikki called. "You left the fridge open."  
"Dammit," she mumbled. "Gimme a sec."  
"No, no," the red kwami replied. "I'll get it."  
"You have patrol, now, don't you…" she said quietly when her kwami returned.  
"Yes," Tikki hugged her cheek. "But it will be short."  
Marinette watched the last of her friends leave her, and drifted to a shaking, freezing sleep.

===

Marinette woke again to movement from the blankets and squeaked hoarsely.  
"Sorry, princess," Chat Noir murmured and paused from sliding in behind her. "You looked so cold. Do you want me to go?"  
"No, please don't leave me," she whimpered, mind hazy from the sleep. "Please, I've been alone all night."  
"Alright, alright." Chat pressed his body to her back and slipped his arm under her torso. "C'mere."  
Marinette sighed and clung to the arm he laid across her side with her cold hands.  
"Where are your friends, Mari?" he asked her ear.  
"All busy." she shuddered, and he pulled the blanket up to their necks. "And I couldn't make Nathaniel cancel his big conference just for me."  
"It's okay, Marinette," Chat whispered, and kissed along her shoulder and neck. "You have me, and I'm going to keep you warm all night."  
"Sometimes I wonder what Ladybug would think about some of the things you say to me, kitty." she teased gently.  
There was silence, and she wondered if she'd offended him, but a clawed finger brushing ever so lightly against the lobe of her ear told her a different story.  
"Y'know Marinette," he told her. "I'm beginning to think she doesn't mind hearing them."  
Her heart went into overdrive.  
"Let's sleep now, princess," he nuzzled her and purred into her shoulder.  
"I love you, kitty," she mumbled.  
"I love you, too." he replied in the dark, and she believed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kalkdjjflakjfljflk im LAT E
> 
> hey any of yall curious as to whether the baby is a boy or a girl yet?
> 
> also no, thats not the reveal. the reveal is coming and you will not be expecting it ;)


	28. Unexpected Developments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien, Marinette and Alya go to lunch.

"Adrien!" Nathalie called.

Adrien stopped with one foot and both arms already up on the gate. He made a face at Nathalie as the sound of her heels approached him across the courtyard.

"Where are you going?" she asked. "You have a shoot after lunch."

"And I'll be there," Adrien rolled his eyes. "But I need to see my friends."

"Your father wanted to have lunch with you today."

Adrien paused and sighed.

"Did he plan to actually show up?"

Nathalie didn't answer.

"Look, Nathalie," Adrien hoisted himself up to the middle section of the gate that he had climbed many times. With his bodyguard fired when Gabriel had gotten sick, he'd taken to just leaving when he pleased. His father's stern words didn't scare him anymore, and Nathalie wouldn't do anything. "It's a nice sentiment, so thanks for that."

He swung his leg over the iron bar at the top and his tailbone twinged a little.

"But I won't eat lunch alone for the millionth time." he leapt the fifteen feet to the ground diagonally and landed in a roll near the curb as was habit. "I'll be back in time for the shoot."

"Adrien, please, your father has been so busy trying to get his business back on track, he just wants to-"

"'Father'," Adrien frowned and air quoted. "Is late to a party that was cancelled years ago."

Nathalie's eyes fell to the ground.

"Now, if you don't mind," he turned away. "I'm going to go meet my _actual_ loved ones for pizza."

===

When Adrien arrived, the first thing he did was hug Marinette and kiss her cheek.

She blushed and giggled.

"What kind of pizza are we thinking?" Alya asked, smiling.

"You guys choose," Marinette snuck a slice of camembert into her mouth. "I won't be having much."

"Pepperoni?" Adrien suggested. "Keep it simple?"

"Gotcha." Alya nodded, and got up to head over and make the order.

"How are you?" Marinette asked.

"I have a shoot this afternoon that I'm not looking forward to." Adrien sighed, taking her hand and softly stroking it with his thumb. "But everything else is just fine. I'm worried about you."

"I'm doing much better," she smiled. "Chat Noir is really helping."

"He is?"

"Yeah," Marinette sighed contentedly. "With the whole pregnancy thing I was scared he'd give up on me or be upset with me, but he's just been so good. Things might work out with him after all."

Adrien hadn't considered Chat and Marinette's relationship before then romantic. But, then again, it dawned on him, he really _was_ beginning to suspect that Marinette was Ladybug, and had been the whole time.

All the clues matched up. All of them. The time of the pregnancy, a father who couldn't see her despite wanting to, the letters, the bra. Even clues from before - the way Marinette had always been missing or late to class around the times Ladybug made appearances. The matching hairstyle they'd had, even when he'd noticed one change hers before the other, and the earrings she'd worn every day of her life that he'd known her.

As he looked into her eyes he wondered if he'd been blind for five years.

Then it hit him.

If Marinette was Ladybug, they'd actually been madly in love with each other since day one.

If Marinette was Ladybug, they'd had sex. Really nice sex.

And the most flooring revelation:

If Marinette was Ladybug, that was his baby she was carrying.

Adrien's face must have betrayed his thoughts, because Marinette's own expression waxed worried.

"Adrien?" she asked. "You okay?"

Her voice saying his name was the same as every time Ladybug had ever said it.

"Mari," he whispered, and swallowed. "Is Chat Noir the father?"

Marinette's eyes widened, if only a fraction, and they darkened and didn't move from his, and her lips pursed lightly and her cheeks heated up. She opened her mouth to say something, but she never got to.

"Pizza will be here shortly," Alya announced, the metal legs of the iron restaurant chair scraping against the pavement as she joined them hurting Adrien's ears as it cut their conversation short.

"Cool," Adrien smiled, and Marinette tentatively brushed her thumb against the back of his hand. He squeezed gently in reply, trying to communicate that everything was alright, even if both their hearts were pounding with the implications. 

"So, are you two finally a thing?" Alya asked, eyeing their clasped flingers.

"I kinda thought we were all starting to be things," Marinette confessed.

Alya's hazel eyes went wide and a shy smile spread across her lips. For once, the budding journalist was speechless.

"Only if everyone's into it, of course," Marinette stammered, and Adrien's heart fluttered. She was too cute.

"You bet we are," Alya smiled, and took her friend's other hand. "Nino, too."

"Really?" Marinette's blue eyes went wide. "Nino, too?"

"We may have talked about it before." Alya shrugged. "It should not be hard to believe we're all into you, girl."

Marinette giggled and Adrien found himself really, _really_ hoping that she really was Ladybug, because if she wasn't, he would have too many weaknesses.

"When's the next doctor's appointment?" Adrien asked when the pizza showed.

"This afternoon," Marinette told him. "It's a long one, though. Seventh month check-up."

"Right." Adrien frowned. "Is that… is that a special checkpoint or something?"

"It means the baby might pop out any day from here on out," Alya explained. "So we have to be super careful with Marinette."

"What," Adrien panicked a bit. "Like any second?"

"It's not urgent," Marinette shook her head and pat his hand reassuringly. "There are just things that might make me go into labour too soon that I should avoid doing."

"She shouldn't stand up for too long," Alya began a list. "No running, jumping, amusement park rides, stressful environments, shock or sex."

Adrien choked a bit on a pepperoni slice.

Marinette and Alya giggled.

"That's…" Adrien mumbled, cheeks going red. "You can do that while you're pregnant?"

"Yes," Alya nodded. "I mean, we _shouldn't_ , but you _can_."

"Alya, you're breaking him," Marinette giggled.

Adrien finished his pizza with shaky hands. He was a dead man.

He remained a dead man for the entirety of the walk back to the mansion, the afternoon's photoshoot and the walk to the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehehehehehe i love flustered adrien and he does not get enough spotlight
> 
> also more alyanette for the soul, and theres more alyanette in higher concentrate in the next chapter so tune in saturday ;)


	29. Unexpected Conversations III: The Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Alya go to a checkup.

"And this is the seventh month," the doctor nodded. "So you're out of the danger zone. If the baby is born any time after now, it's almost guaranteed to survive."

Marinette smiled and Alya squeezed her hand beside her.

"Now," the doctor sighed. "I know you don't want to tell us who the father is, but do you at least know his medical history?"

"Yeah, we've discussed it a lot." Marinette said. "He doesn’t think there's anything bad he could pass down, and if there is, it would be his father's fault for not telling him."

"That's good to know," The doctor nodded. "So we're going to take some blood and run some regular tests on it, just to be sure."

"Eyes on me, girl," Alya said, watching the doctor approach with the needle.

"I know they have to do it," Marinette shuddered. "Never makes it easier."

"Heard from Nathaniel about tonight?" Alya asked.

"He's checking with his boss to be sure, but-" she squeaked loudly, but managed not to flinch hard enough that it would hinder the doctor's blood-taking. "He should be available."

"I'd be there myself, but Nino needs a driver again," Alya rolled her eyes. "What's up with Adrien, though?"

"He might be joining us," a whimper as the needle was withdrawn. "He's not sure yet."

"Alright, all done for today," the doctor smiled and pressed one of those cotton-ball-and-paper-tape thingies Marinette hated the feel of to the spot. "See you next time if the results don’t mean we call you in."

And Alya and Marinette left the hospital.

Adrien was standing out front, which surprised them, but surprise turned to worry when they saw that he was on the phone, and he did not look happy.

"I really don't care," Adrien said with such a darkness in his demeanour that Alya and Marinette's hearts stopped. Their fingers wound tighter. "I told you, I refuse."

A moment of silence. His face scrunched up in disgust.

"There is nothing you can say that will even come close to getting me to even consider leaving her now!" Adrien snarled. 

Alya moved them out of the path of the hospital steps and towards Adrien, who was standing in the empty designated smoking area.

"Take the losses out of my savings, then, I have plenty." their partner hissed.

Something the other party said made him growl.

"Your company can _choke_! It means nothing to me!"

Marinette felt slightly less terrified knowing that this was about work, but she was anxious all the same. Alya held her tight.

"No, you listen, _Gabriel_ ," Adrien's voice got all quiet. "I don't care about money, or international standings, or reputation. I care about _Marinette_ , and she cares right back, unlike you. I will model if you must have my face plastered all over the city, but I get to say when I won't do something. If you or your actions threaten anything I love, _especially Marinette_ , I will take what I own and I _will **leave**_."

More silence. Marinette broke from Alya and got closer to the angry blond.

When he noticed her, Adrien's whole body softened. His eyes fell on her and when she reached for him, he put his free arm around her.

"Thanks," Adrien said simply, and hung up.

"Are you okay?" Alya asked, seeing it was safe to approach.

"Yeah," Adrien kissed them both on the cheeks. "I wanted to surprise you, but my dad just _had_ to call. He likes to spend most of winter in other countries, but I refuse to leave."

"You don't have to stay just for me," Marinette told him, honestly a little saddened. "You could go."

"No way in hell," Adrien told her, kissing her again. "How's baby?"

"Baby is alive and healthy," Alya had gotten out her phone and tapped steadily.

"And mama?" Adrien asked Marinette.

"Mama is definitely not used to being called mama yet," she blushed and smiled. "But she's doing lovely, thanks."

"Good." he grinned. "Home now?"

"Definitely," Alya nodded, shuddering. "We need to get out of this cold."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK SO MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT:
> 
> NEXT UPDATE, WEDNESDAYS UPDATE, WILL BE TWO CHAPTERS
> 
> also we hit 3k hits kids im !!!!! thank you so much ily all
> 
> and another chapter of the eyes goes up today, which is my lukadrienette fic, if any of you are interested in that
> 
> see you in three days bebs!!


	30. Unexpected Moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner is pleasantly interrupted.

"Looks like the weathers going into the negatives tonight," Alya said between mouthfuls of fried rice.

"Shit," Adrien looked to Marinette. "I don’t have a way to go get my bag."

"It's okay," Marinette munched another chunk of her sweet and sour pork. "I'll have Nathaniel and it's a patrol night, so Chat might drop in to keep me warm."

"What's up with you and Chat Noir, anyway?" Alya mused. "You and him have been dancing around each other for years."

"Absolutely waltzing around each other," Marinette giggled.

Adrien just smiled and ate more lemon chicken, trying not to give away his stakes in the discussion.

"Well?" Alya poked her plastic fork at Marinette. "Are you two together or like… good friends?"

"We're very close," Marinette spoke slowly, and Adrien got the feeling it was because she was choosing her words carefully. "And we're a little intimate in our own way, but if we've put a label on it, that is our secret."

Adrien's heart swelled with affection and a little pride.

"Alright," Alya nodded. "I can get behind that. What about Ladybug?"

"What about her?" Marinette said.

"Do you know her?"

"Oh, very well." Marinette shrugged. "But there's no way I'm telling you any of her secrets."

"Marinette," Alya frowned. "I can't tell if youre the best or worst friend in the world right now."

Marinette only winked and giggled. Then she squeaked in surprise and looked to her belly.

"We've got kicks," she announced, blinking.

"Ooh," Alya hastily put her takeout box down and stumbled over Adrien's legs to the other couch. "Where? Where?"

Marinette pulled up her shirt to reveal her pale stomach. She put Alya's hand to the lower left.

"Junior's got strong legs," Alya smiled after a moment. "Maybe we'll have a new superhero in a few years."

"Would have got those legs from the dad," Marinette laughed.

"Come on, Mari, your thighs could kill a man." Alya flicked her hair off her shoulder with her free hand.

"So could my partner's," Marinette teased.

Alya flinched a little as the baby delivered a second kick and chuckled. 

"May I?" Adrien asked, getting up onto the couch from the floor.

Marinette responded by pulling his hand over to rest where Alya's had been. A tiny, forceful bump hit his palm where it joined to his fingers. Adrien gasped softly.

Marinette smiled and they looked one another in the eyes. There was something incredible about that moment, their hands over one another's and over the baby that had been bringing them together regardless of parentage. 

Then Nathaniel appeared in the doorway. He called a greeting and put his bag on the kitchen bar.

"We've got kicks," Marinette informed him.

Nathaniel hurried to them and leaned over the back of the couch.

"Where?" he asked, teal eyes wide and curious.

"Here," Marinette pointed. "Might be done, though."

Nathaniel hummed and gently placed his hand while Adrien moved his own away. He made a little noise that Adrien found strangely cute as the baby kicked for the last time. Nathaniel gave Marinette a nuzzle and slowly retreated from her stomach.

"This has been adorable," Alya got up from the couch and retrieved the various takeout boxes from the floor to be taken to the kitchen. "But I'm afraid I have to go. Adrien, you want a lift?"

"Yeah." Adrien sighed, and he smooched Marinette's cheek briefly before getting up to follow her out the door.

Marinette brushed her fingers against her cheek.

"How was the doctors?" Nathaniel asked, heading toward his bag.

"Everything's just fine." Marinette stood up with some difficulty. "What time is it?"

"Like, eight-ish?" Nathaniel checked his phone. "8:09."

"Okay, cleaning and shower." Marinette huffed, heading for the kitchen. "Then bed."

"Oh, no," Nathaniel stopped her with hands to her shoulders. "You go shower, I'll clean."

"But you didn't even help make the mess," she made a face.

"Go shower, before I take you in there myself," Nathaniel threatened playfully.

"Alright, alright." Marinette held her arms up defensively, and began to turn, but hesitated. "Are you su-"

Nathaniel didn't even reply. He put his arms on her shoulders again and walked her to the bedroom.

Marinette giggled and he left her with the door just slightly ajar. She got in the shower for ten minutes and then got out again, thoroughly clean.

She put on her Chat Noir shirt and sleep shorts. Miraculously, the shirt Adrien had gifted her was still big enough to cover her belly. Or, perhaps it was the fact that Adrien had hit six and a half feet tall in the last five years and had the proportionally broadest shoulders out of anyone in their class, while Marinette hadn't hit any taller than five foot three, and was relatively slimly built.

"Ok, apartment's all cleaned." Nathaniel informed from the door. "Do you mind if I have a shower?"

"Yeah, go for it," Marinette combed her hair, and he nodded and disappeared.

It was then that a knock came from her window, and she almost went into shock.

Chat Noir was shivering at the fire escape.

She pulled him inside.

"Jesus, Chat!" she hissed. "You almost made me give birth! Literally! Shock will make me go into labour!"

His ears twitched and bits of his body did the same as it fought against the cold. The warmth of the room had him relax a little.

"Sorry," he breathed, still shaking. "It's really fucking cold out there. I practically sped through patrol."

"'S okay," she sat down on the bed, gripping her shirt near her heart. "Are you alright?"

He dropped to his knees in front of her.

"I'm alive," he said, laying his head on her lap. There wasn’t much room now that her belly was in the way.

"Good," she said, and put her hand through his hair.

His ears twitched some more.

"What's up."

"I hear…" he said softly. "I hear the baby's heartbeat."

He moved his head closer and pressed the side of his face to her tummy.

The low, quiet, slow pulse of a tiny heartbeat peeking out between the louder beats of Marinette's reached both sets of his ears.

Adrien may have been wearing an actual immortal deity in an ancient ring with the power to bring national monuments to ruin with a single touch, but he thought that _this_ was truly magical. 

"Got company, have we?" Nathaniel commented from the doorway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhhh guys todays update is 2 chapters but.... wait ill put it in the next chapts notes.


	31. Unexpected Words: The Second Coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathaniel has a chat.

"Chat Noir," Nathaniel said. It was sort of a greeting, sort of a neutral statement.

"You must be the great Nathaniel I've heard so much about," Chat inclined his head. 

Nathaniel eyed him without comment, but at least he didn't react negatively.

"Mari, do you want me to take the spare bedroom tonight?" the redhead asked.

"No, you'll be too cold." Marinette replied. "You're still welcome to join me."

"Do you want me to go?" Chat looked up at her.

"No," she huffed. "C'mon boys, do I have to teach you how to share?"

Chat and Nathaniel both smiled and blushed.

"Hurry up," she gestured. "It's cold."

The three piled into bed. Chat on the left, nearest the window, Nathaniel on the right and Marinette on her back in the middle.

"Comfy?" she asked them.

"Very," Chat replied, nuzzling into her neck.

Nathaniel hummed in reply.

Chat narrowed his eyes a smidge. He certainly wasn't going to confront the redhead about it, but he got the feeling that there was something in the other man's demeanour that might have been hostile. He hoped that they wouldn’t get into a fight. That would be all kinds of bad.

Chat laid his arm across Marinette's body, careful not to impose on Nathaniel's personal space, and drifted away to sleep.

===

When he awoke, none of them had moved.

Well, Nathaniel's arm now lay atop his, but they were still in the bed, and Marinette was still asleep. Chat thought to reach to his baton to check the time, but couldn't move his arm, or risk disturbing Nathaniel. That meant that rubbing his eyes wasn’t an option either. He sighed calmly and waited.

"You're the father," Nathaniel said so quietly Adrien wasn't sure if he'd actually heard it until the following words were spoken. "Aren't you?"

"I…" Chat whispered, heart rocketing into overdrive. "I might be. I don't know for sure."

"All the evidence lines up," Nathaniel told him.

Their eyes met across Marinette's collarbone, cold, steely teal and fearful, magically altered green.

"It does," Chat whispered. "But there's still a chance I'm wrong."

Suddenly, Nathaniel's hand gripped tight on Chat's arm. His heartbeat sped up and he looked to Marinette's sleeping face before swallowing.

"If you _ever_ hurt Marinette," Nathaniel didn't blink. "I will get myself akumatised again so I can kick your ass."

"Would you ever hurt her?" Adrien stared right back.

"Of course not," the redhead said with such conviction Adrien got a little nervous. "She's all I've got left in this mess of a world."

"Funny, I feel the same way," he replied. "And believe me, if I ever hurt her, I'll be kicking my own ass."

There was another moment of eye contact, but this time, the message wasn't hostility. It was silent understanding. Nathaniel let go of him, but his arm stayed where it was.

"Is it really as bad as you and Nino say?" Chat asked, looking to Marinette's belly. "The world, I mean."

"Yeah," Nathaniel sighed. "The more you learn, the more you realise just how much everything is going to shit."

"Is there any hope at all?" the superhero asked.

Nathaniel's eyes looked sorrowful for a moment, his gaze also on Marinette's stomach.

"Nope," he whispered. "There's nothing we can do. The only thing we can do is make the best of what we have before humanity crumbles."

Adrien had never been faced with this concept before.

"I don't get it," he shook his head. "I didn't think things were that bad."

"If you are who I think you are," Nathaniel looked at him again. "It's because you've never had to."

Fear sprung up in Adrien, but it wasnt the sudden kind that had you gripped and at its mercy until you defeated it, the kind Adrien was used to, and could overcome. No, this was the kind of fear that latched to your mind and stayed there, quiet and unassuming until you remembered it, and were filled with dread for what it was about and how it was never going to leave you.

"Don't worry, Chat Noir," Nathaniel sighed. "Your secrets are safe with me."

Adrien believed him, and the words put his mind at ease.

"You're kind of scary, Nathaniel," Chat murmured to him.

Nathaniel chuckled, and Adrien didn't know whether to find it cute or terrifying.

"If I didn't know you as well as I do," Nathaniel murmured back. "I'd think you were scary, too."

This made Chat smile.

Marinette breathed in deeply as she awoke.

"Morning, princess," Adrien whispered.

"Morning, kitty," she smiled. "Did you two play nice?"

"I think we've done okay." Chat looked to Nathaniel.

Nathaniel didn't say anything, but the corner of his mouth twitched, and that was enough for Adrien.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANNOUNCEMENT:
> 
> SATURDAYS UPDATE IS FOUR CHAPTERS.
> 
> YES. F O U R
> 
> see you then ;)


	32. The Unexpected Emergency

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Nathaniel discuss the events of last night.

Had anyone asked what Nathaniel expected to do today, his answer wouldn't have been 'wake up in the arms of two superheroes and their unborn child, give one of them an existential crisis and threaten to kick his ass, and then accidentally become fond of him' - but that's what happened.

Chat Noir had left after wolfing down his breakfast and brushing an honestly sweet goodbye kiss to Marinette's cheek.

Nathaniel scowled at his scrambled eggs.

"What's up, Nath?" Marinette put her hand over his own.

He looked to her.

"Thinking about our friend."

"Oh, what about him?" Marinette took a mouthful of egg.

"Y'know, stuff no-one ever asks, but I'm curious about." he stabbed a glob with his fork. "What are the suits made of? Does that zip work?"

"Magic and no." she answered, and giggled. "I have tried many times, that bell does not move one inch."

"I see," Nathaniel said. "How long have you known him?"

Marinette frowned and thought for a minute.

"Five years I think?" she said. "Maybe closer to six now."

Nathaniel hummed and ate the glob of scrambled egg.

"Do you know who he is?" he asked.

"I… might have an idea, but he's never explicitly shown me, if that's what you mean," Marinette met his eyes.

"Right," he ate more.

"Nath," Marinette said softly. "What are you really thinking?"

He sighed and swallowed his mouthful.

"I don't know how to feel about him."

Marinette blinked.

"If he is who I think he is," the redhead rubbed his neck with his free hand. "Then I really shouldn't have a problem, but…"

Nathaniel waited a moment and had more of the breakfast.

"I can’t help being worried," he said, tapping his fork on the plate gently. "There are a lot of things that could go wrong."

"I know," Marinette murmured. "But Chat and I have each other, we always have, and I have you, right?"

"Always," Nathaniel nodded.

"We'll get through whatever comes, no matter how difficult." she told him.

"You really have faith in him, huh?" Nathaniel took the last mouthfuls of egg from his plate.

"He's saved my life countless times," Marinette said. "And I've saved his as many. If I can't trust him, who _can_ I trust?"

Nathaniel nodded. He was just going to have to get used to Chat stalking around, wasn't he?

"Should we do some drawing today?" he asked, taking the plates to the sink.

"Yes, please!" Marinette smiled. "Let me get dressed."

===

"See, that's a good shape, but I feel like the colour should be different," Nathaniel chewed his pencil.

"Yeah, you're right." Marinette nodded. "Like, another green or something else altogether?"

"I mean, there are only so many greens," Nathaniel frowned and shrugged. "Plus, it's your dress, it should flatter you."

Marinette sighed.

"What colour do you think would look good on me?"

Nathaniel turned his gaze to her.

"Marinette, you look good in everything."

"Pffft, come on," she took a deep breath. "Surely there are _some_ things that don't flatter me."

"Alright," he conceded. "Do you want my in-depth analysis?"

"Yeah," Marinette crossed her arms, a more difficult task than it had been before her boobs had grown two cup sizes.

"You look good in black, blue, green and red, in that order." Nathaniel listed. "Pink was always your signature colour, so I guess it deserves a mention, but I know you look better in red."

"I suppose yellows, oranges and purples do clash with my skin tone," Marinette grunted as she tried to hoist herself up onto the couch from the floor. "Bathroom, be right back."

Nathaniel gathered up their various art supplies from the floor and stood.

Suddenly a strange noise came from Marinette's phone on the couch pillow.

It was a custom twitter notification. Alya had shown their whole little group how to set them up, and Marinette had hers set to alert her of a very concerning word.

Someone had reported an akuma.

Nathaniel snatched the TV remote and turned on the news, terrified of what he would find.

[… and for the first time in almost a whole year, we have an akuma roaming the streets of Paris.] Nadja said. [Will Ladybug be here to save us despite having been absent for eight months?]

Nathaniel panicked. If Marinette was Ladybug like he suspected, this could be the end.

"Nathaniel?" Marinette appeared.

He turned to her, and he realized his worst fear was true.

She stood, frozen, eyes on the TV footage of the newest supervillain. The look on her face wasn't anger, or even fear. Her face was empty.

Nathaniel rushed to her.

Her eyes snapped to him.

She opened her mouth, but all that came out was a whimper.

He had no idea what to do.

Luckily, Marinette did.

"Nath," she croaked. "Do you know who Ladybug is?"

"It's you, isn't it." he whispered. It was not convicting, but not questioning either - it was a confirmation.

"And you know that the earrings are what gives me my powers?" She was shaking.

"I'm familiar with the concept," he whispered. He had been drawing amateur comics of Ladybug and Chat Noir for years, and he'd researched everything known about every battle they'd ever been in. He'd heard more than enough of Papillon's commands to know about the earrings and the ring, and he'd scrounged up and even deduced a few secrets about the items.

That, and once he'd been one of their sidekicks. The dragon miraculous had been given to him, years ago. He had been Firebreather for a single night. He'd always been convinced it was a dream.

"You said I can ask you anything?" Marinette's voice was trembling.

"Anything." he said, and he meant it.

Marinette reached up and took out her earrings.

"Nathaniel," her voice was as steady as her hand. "Please, I ask this of you now."

He looked into her eyes. Tears had welled and they began to fall.

"Save Paris," she begged him with a weak voice and shaking body. "Save the father of my child."

Nathaniel took the earrings. Luckily, he had a few ear holes he could push them through. Marinette hugged him.

"I can never thank you enough for this." she whispered, and for a moment they were just Marinette and Nathaniel. There was no baby, no Chat Noir, no Akuma, no Paris, just them.

"I'm doing this for you, Marinette." he told her softly. "You know you don't need to."

"Say 'spots on'." Marinette said.

"Spots on."

And then Nathaniel was a superhero.

He walked toward the window.

"Nathaniel?" Marinette followed him. "You're gonna come back safe, right?"

"Promise."

He kissed her, and then he loosed the yoyo into the midday cityscape, and swung away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the first of four chapters being posted right the hell now.
> 
> i hope youre ready kiddos because im not and i wrote the damn thing.


	33. The Unexpected Resolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go to less shit than feared, but still go to shit.

Alya was waiting for her coffee order when the akuma alert went off on her phone.

She panicked. Many, many questions ran through her head.

She was well aware that Ladybug hadn't been sighted in almost six months, and her last two appearances had been in one park with minimal movement.

Chat Noir was still moving around regularly, people who lived on the patrol routes reported him weekly. One building noted that he often stayed on their roof for some time before leaving, but none of the residents dared to find out why.

The thing was, Chat Noir couldn't defeat akumas on his own. He needed Ladybug, and in confidence he had told their whole little group - Ladybug was pregnant like Marinette, and she couldn’t transform.

Alya was very much panicking. She didn't know what would happen now that Ladybug was out of commission. Would the akuma destroy Paris? Would Chat Noir have to do something different to defeat it? Would everything be okay?

"SHIT!" Nino swore outside the coffee shop, so loudly that the muffle didn’t even affect it. Of course he'd seen the notification as well; after being heroes briefly when they were younger, Nino and Alya had made it a point to be ready and waiting in case they were ever called upon again by their superhero friends.

"Miss Cesaire?" the barista called, and Alya grabbed the coffee with a hurried thank you.

She burst out of the door.

"Come on, I have to get to that aku-!" she blurted, but Nino had just picked up his phone.

"Marinette," Nino spoke, and Alya was immediately torn. "What's happened?"

Alya couldn't hear what exactly was being said by the woman on the other end of the phone, but by the way she sounded, she was not okay, and Alya had never been more terrified in her life.

"We have to get to Marinette," Nino looked at her and she knew it was serious, because on his face was the expression that only five people in the whole world knew he could make.

"B-but the akuma…" Alya looked at her phone, eyes wide and mind empty. "The blog…"

"You cannot be serious," Nino hissed, and he leaned in angrily. Alya was somehow even more scared, even though she knew full well Nino would never hurt her or anyone he loved. "Marinette needs us! Are you going to choose the blog over her?"

Alya knew that that shouldn’t even be a question, but it had been asked. She scowled, angry at herself.

"I'm going to be right there, Mari," Nino said into the phone, tone steady and, despite his demeanour, loving. He turned to Alya. "Are you coming?"

Alya nodded firmly and they ran for the car.

===

Adrien was probably going to go into cardiac arrest.

" ** _Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck_** ," A string of curses bled from his mouth ad infinitum as he bounded along the rooftops.

He couldn't show himself to the akuma yet. He did _not_ have a plan, and he was fucking terrified, confused as hell, and completely unsure.

" _Fuck Papillon_ ," he hissed to himself as he landed on a nearby roof and kept low, eyes on the akuma in the plaza nearby. " _Fuck you, Papillon, you absolute asshole, I'm going to rip you limb from limb for this..._ "

**_Where the fuck was Tikki!?_ **

Chat smacked his hand over his mouth to keep from yowling in terror as footsteps landed behind him, but that didn’t stop him leaping four feet into the air. He spun, ready to face death and fight it till his last heartbeat, mind on Marinette and the baby and Nino and Alya and-

His mouth dropped open in shock and awe.

Before him stood a man wearing Ladybug's earrings. His suit was mostly black, but the ladybug pattern ran in V-shapes, one large one across his chest, two starting gloves at his wrists, one at his waist and two beginning his boots at the knee. The spots somehow dotted his mop of red hair too.

Despite the black, red-spotted mask, Adrien knew instantly who this was, but it didn't make him any less terrified.

"Natha-?!" Chat almost cried out, but Ladybug-Nathaniel interrupted.

"Shut up," he said firmly, finger pointed accusingly in Chat's face. "I don't know how to feel about you yet."

Chat Noir, heart hammering so much that his ears pounded, had truly never been more afraid in his life.

"What is happening?" he whispered, voice high-pitched and quiet.

"We're going to kick this akuma's ass," Ladybug-Nathaniel told him. "We're going to reassure the public that the real Ladybug is safe, and then we're going to go home to her, and we're all going to have a nice little _chat_."

Chat Noir's heart was not eased by the pun, but his mind was. This was someone he trusted, someone who he knew and who knew him, and despite his fear, was a partner he could work with. Adrien let himself focus on the task at hand. This was something he understood. This was something he could do. 

"Now," Ladybug-Nathaniel looked to the akuma on the street below. "Walk me through this."

Chat nodded. This would be fine. This would all be okay.

His heart didn't want to believe him, though.

===

Nino almost ripped the apartment door off its hinges.

Marinette was sobbing and shaking on the couch.

They ran to her.

She clung to them.

"Marinette…" Alya's heart ached.

"We're here, Marinette." Nino soothed. "We're here and we're not going anywhere."

Marinette's tears wouldn't stop falling, but she stopped breathing so heavily.

"They're out there," Marinette sobbed. "They're out there and I can't do anything."

Alya looked to the television, where real-time city security footage was streaming through the news channel. Chat Noir and an unfamiliar hero were leaping through the streets, combating the newest supervillain. The supervillain seemed to be shocked by the new enemy, and Alya realised that it was probably because Papillon was expecting Ladybug and not this man.

"Who is that?" Nino asked, still holding Marinette.

Alya stood up, fear on her face.

"That's…" she rasped, but never finished her sentence, because as their eyes stayed fixed on the screen, the new red-and-black superhero knocked something off the head of the villain with a flying kick, tumbled away to where it had landed, picked it up and tore it apart with a vengeance.

And the little black dot of evil butterfly fluttered into the sky.

===

Nathaniel didn't dare try to aim the yoyo while he was unpractised and time was of the essence. Instead, he opened it and held it in his palm, and leapt up to catch the magical menace manually. In seconds, the white butterfly disappeared into the night to return to its master.

Chat and Ladybug-Nathaniel watched it go.

"I'm gonna fucking kill him when we find him." Nathaniel said as he tossed the yoyo into the sky to perform a Cure without having used a Lucky Charm.

"Agreed." Chat commented, voice weak.

There was a moment of silence as they looked to one another. The press was coming towards them, and they were about to be hounded with questions.

"Thanks," they said to each other at the same time.

There was nervous, relieved laughter for a bit, and then sighs.

"No, thank you." Chat shook his head. "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been here."

"Whatever it would have been, it wouldn't have been good," Ladybug-Nathaniel breathed heavily as the first of the reporters reached them. "But I couldn't have done this well enough if you didn't help me, so thank you, too."

"Chat Noir!" one reporter shoved her mic in their faces. "Who is your mysterious new partner and where is Ladybug?"

"I got this," Ladybug-Nathaniel reassured Chat and cleared his throat. "I am Red Beetle, and I'll be standing in for Ladybug for a while. Ladybug is perfectly fine, and she'll be back in no time."

A flurry of questions erupted from the crowd, but Red Beetle had said all that need to be said.

"Home time, Chat," he turned, and Chat nodded with a deep breath, and they leapt away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahaha please dont hate me


	34. Unexpected Revelations (Director's Cut)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir and Red Beetle come home.

When he and Red Beetle reached the roof across from Marinette's apartment, Chat's heart skipped.

"So it's true?" he asked quietly, and possibly too vaguely, because Red Beetle didn't reply.

"Come on," was all he said, and leapt across to the lounge room's windowsill.

Inside, Marinette was curled in Nino's lap on the couch, and Alya was milling around anxiously in the kitchen.

There were three loud gasps when Red Beetle crawled through the opened window.

Marinette reached out to him, and he went to her immediately.

She only whimpered as she hugged him.

"We're back," he told her. "And we're safe."

She sobbed very softly, but she put her hands on his face, and smiled.

"I'm so proud of you," Marinette managed to choke out between shaky breaths.

Nathaniel huffed and smiled softly. He frowned at the window.

"You coming in or not?" he called.

Chat Noir, who had silently perched himself on the frame, was staring at his four best friends in the entire world with apprehension. His tail flicked wildly behind him.

"Get in here," Nathaniel scolded.

"Kitty?" Marinette asked, and the concern in her eyes made his heart ache.

"I'm here, princess." he hopped in and closed the window to the cold.

"Spots off," Red Beetle detransformed in a flash of pink light.

Alya and Nino made surprised noises at the sudden appearance of Nathaniel, kneeling by Marinette with his arms holding her own.

Tikki floated before all of them silently for a moment, assessing the situation, then she flew to Marinette and hugged her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Tikki, I should have-" Marinette gushed, but Tikki would have none of it.

"You made the right choice, Marinette." the red spirit told her firmly. "Nathaniel did well, and Paris is safe."

Marinette kissed the little spirit's forehead.

"Should I give these back?" Nathaniel reached for his ears, but literally everyone else in the room cried in protest at the same time.

"There will be more akumas," Tikki told him. "Until Papillon is stopped, there must be someone using the earrings."

"But wouldn't you prefer someone else?" he asked the red spirit.

"You have proven yourself," Tikki shook her large head. "And the public knows of you now. It would raise too many questions if you passed the earrings again."

Nathaniel nodded.

No-one had said anything else.

Nathaniel looked over to Chat, who was crouching nervously by the end of the couch.

"Well?" Nathaniel asked.

"Marinette," Chat swallowed some air. "Is it true?"

"Is what true, Chaton?" she asked, and her hands held Nino's and Nathaniel's tightly.

"Are you Ladybug?"

The question hung in the air. And Chat and Marinette looked to one another with fear and uncertainty.  
After what felt like forever, Marinette nodded, very slowly. Nathaniel and Nino moved their arms around her, almost protectively.

"And the baby is mine?" he choked. He wanted to hug her tight and cry violently.

"Who’s else would it be, kitty?" she half-laughed while a tear rolled down her face.

"Are you going to detransform," Nathaniel asked with a cautious look, and he swallowed lightly before saying the next word. "Adrien?"

Adrien flinched at what was an accusation, however gentle or true, but his guard crumbled as he saw Marinette's face at the revelation.

"Adrien?" she choked. "You're my kitty?"

He fell apart. His shoulders slumped and he shook his head of his fear and crawled over to kneel beside Nathaniel.

"Claws in," he croaked.

Marinette burst into tears as his transformation dissolved. Plagg floated above his head, silent for the moment.

"Oh my god," Alya's low voice came from the back of the room.

"Holy fucking shit," Nino whispered.

Adrien hugged Marinette and put his forehead gently on her stomach. They both sobbed. Nathaniel sighed calmly beside them. Nino and Alya exchanged glances.

"See, bug?" Plagg broke the long silence with a gentle prod at Tikki. "It's all going to be fine."

Tikki only sighed.

"You still wanna kick my ass?" Adrien asked Nino, sniffling.

"Nah," Nino smiled and rubbed Marinette's arm gently. "You actually were putting in effort, and I've already punched you anyway, so we're cool."

There was a comfortable group-wide giggle.

"Alya?" Marinette asked over her shoulder. The couch was angled away from the kitchen, and thus, Marinette couldn't see her girlfriend.

Alya walked over to the back of the couch and reached for Marinette's cheek to wipe away some of the tear trails.

"You're not mad that I never told you?" Marinette wiped her other cheek with the back of her own hand.

"No," Alya shook her head. "And I never will be. I'm just glad you're safe."

"You're not gonna put anything on the blog, are you?" Nathaniel asked.

"Nothing you wouldn't be okay with me putting up there." she assured them. "But god, how lucky are you two?"

"What do you mean?" Adrien sniffed.

"It was you two the whole time." Nino grinned. "You've been chasing each other in circles for years, like… shit, you've gotta be the luckiest motherfuckers on the planet."

"We very much are," Marinette pressed back against Nino and ruffled Adrien's hair with one hand and stroked Nathaniel's cheek with the other. "Group hug?"

Alya draped her arms around Nino and Marinette's shoulders, Nathaniel put his hand on Adrien's back and the other on Marinette's, and Nino let one of his hands reach for Adrien's shoulder.

The hug was only interrupted by Marinette's stomach grumbling.

There was laughter. Loud, relieved laughter, that everyone joined in on.

"I am ordering pizza," Alya announced. "What do we want?"

And the group hug broke apart, but the feelings of comfort and belonging stayed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ive never been more anxious about letting anyone look at something i made in my lfie than i am right now, with this chapter.
> 
> one more and then the first deleted scene will also be coming.
> 
> is it too late to tell you to prepare yourselves?


	35. Unexpected Explanations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group have a good long talk over pizza.

"So, Nathaniel," Alya asked halfway through her first slice of pizza. "How long have you known who our beloved superheroes were?"

Nathaniel finished his mouthful and paused.

"For sure?" he began, eyeing a pepperoni slice. "Like four hours. But I had my hunches for years."

"Really?" Marinette caught a string of cheese that fell from her mouth with her Ladybug reflexes.

"Yeah," Nathaniel shrugged. "I've known you since before college, Marinette. Once I started researching you two for my comics, I realized Ladybug wouldn't be as amazing as she was if she wasn't you."

"What about Adrien?" Nino asked between bites. "When did you figure him out?"

Nathaniel turned as red as Marinette already was. He cleared his throat.

"First week of lycee." he swallowed another mouthful of pizza.

"What happened first week of lycee?" Adrien's eyebrows knitted together, trying to remember.

"Oh, oh," Alya remembered for all of them. "That was the summer almost everyone hit puberty!"

"There was an akuma that Tuesday," Nathaniel didn't meet anyone's eyes. "And you two hadn't transformed over the summer, because Adrien was out of town until school went back, and there were no akumas. Your first battle in like, three months, and you were a mess."

"Oh, that one." Marinette cringed.

"Love Biter," Alya slapped her forehead gently. "How could I forget."

Adrien laughed nervously, very, very aware of what was about to be revealed.

"I couldn't figure it out," Nathaniel shook his head. "You guys had been together for three years by that point, you were like a well-oiled machine, and used to your powers. I didn't understand how you could be so sloppy."

"Don’t remind me." Marinette groaned and Nathaniel gave her shoulders a little squeeze.

"I watched all the footage I could get my hands on for hours." he picked up another slice of pizza. "And then I noticed Adrien."

Adrien raised his eyebrow as he chewed.

"What about him?" Nino asked.

"Do you not remember seeing his shoulders for the first time?" Nathaniel asked.

Marinette went red again.

Nino and Alya nodded knowingly in agreement.

Adrien remembered noticing it in the mirror, and realized that must have been more of a shock to the people who hadn't been growing them for three months.

"And that's when it hit me." Nathaniel snapped his fingers for emphasis. "Chat and Ladybug had hit puberty. They were getting used to moving with new bodies."

"I couldn't understand why my yoyo sent me so far when I swung." Marinette sighed, eyes far away. "It was because my boobs and butt were bigger and there was more weight in my momentum."

"All my leaps were stronger." Adrien remembered. "All my muscles were bigger. I kept overshooting my movements."

"We were up all of Wednesday night," Marinette rested her hand on her chin. "Just trying to get back into our rhythm again. But we couldn't concentrate."

"Why?" Nino took another slice.

"I was thinking about Adrien," Marinette admitted. "And Chat couldn't stop staring at my uh… new assets."  
It was Adrien's turn to go red.

"But, yeah," Nathaniel cleared his throat. "It was Adrien's and Chat's shoulders."

"Everyone got new assets though." Nino said.

"Yeah," Alya nodded. "God, everyone looked so good. What was your favourite change?"

"Alya's boobs," Marinette said instantly. All the eyes turned to her. "What? They got even more comfy!"

The boys nodded in acceptance.

"Mylene's growth spurt." Alya shook her head in disbelief. "It wasn't much, but it made such a difference for her."

"Oh, yeah." Nino nodded.

"Oh my god," Adrien suddenly remembered, and snickered. "Chloe finally got an ass, and it was the only good thing about her!"

Everyone laughed, and they realised the pizza was gone.

"Marinette's hips." Nathaniel said quietly after a moment.

Every single person at the table blushed.

"Oh, _god, yes_." Nino agreed. "Like, you were cute before, Mari, but once you got hips, you were a knockout."

"I may or may not have dreamt about Ladybug's hips for a whole month." Adrien tugged at his t-shirt collar.

"I couldn't stop drawing you." Nathaniel murmured into his soda cup. "I filled two notebooks with drawings of you."

"See, girl?" Alya wiggled her eyebrows. "I told you. _Everyone_ is into you."

Marinette tried to shrink under all the attention.

Nino got up and collected the pizza boxes.

"So, what's happening tonight?" Alya asked. "Who's sleeping over?"

"I've got a shoot tomorrow," Adrien sighed, his good mood gone. "And I'm going to have to wrestle my bank info from Nathalie to buy us a house."

At the groups stunned looks, Adrien rolled his eyes.

"I've been saving for months," he told them. "I was waiting till I found out who Ladybug was so I could move in with her, but this apartment is way too small for us. I'm gonna buy something bigger."

"So, what, you're just gonna fuckin'," Nino questioned, incredulous. "Buy us all a mansion or something?"

"If you want a mansion I can probably get one built," Adrien nodded. "I was thinking more of a small apartment block in case we wanted a little bit space from one another, but-"

"Dude," Nino put his hands on his best friend's shoulders, wide-eyed. "Dude, I was joking, you don't have to do that."

"But I want to?" Adrien was confused.

"Are you sure?" Nathaniel asked. "You just want us all to move in with you?"

"I do," Adrien looked between them all. "Do… do you not want to move in with me?"

"Of course we do!" Marinette told him. "I mean, I do, at least… but you don't have to spend so much money, Adrien."

"I promise, it is no problem," Adrien told them. "None. I mean, what else am I gonna do with it?"

They seemed to have no answer to that.

"I think it's a wonderful idea," Tikki piped up from the table. "It gives Adrien and Nathaniel time to build a better bond while Nathaniel is the Ladybug holder. It means room for the baby when it's born, too."

"Means no more rent," Plagg added, and that got Marinette and Alya considering.

"Are you sure?" Nino asked intently.

"Yes!" Adrien answered with the same tone and a lopsided smile. "Please, Nino, it's okay."

"Alright," he said, but Nino still looked freaked out. Adrien kissed his cheek, and Nino blushed. "Okay, yeah. Yeah, okay, let's do it."

"If you're sure," Alya conceded when he began to look to each of them in turn. "I'm in."

"Yeah." Nathaniel sighed. "I'm in."

"Of course," Marinette seemed offended he'd ever questioned her about it.  
Adrien smiled.

"I do have to go home tonight, though." he told them.

"We'll take you." Alya smiled.

"I'm staying," Nathaniel looked to Marinette. "If- if that's okay."

"Yes," Marinette nodded.

"Okay, shall we?" Alya got up and walked around to give Marinette a kiss.

Nino did the same, and he tentatively gave Adrien one, too.

"I'll be with you in a second," Adrien told them, smiling.

"We'll be in the car," Alya waved and they disappeared.

Adrien turned to his two partners in crime-fighting.

"Marinette," he said, and looked into her eyes. "I-"

"Kitty," she shook her head. "There's nothing you have to say."

He bit his lip. He wanted to say a lot of things, most of them sorries.

"I still love you," she told him. "Nothing has changed. You're still my kitty, and I'm still your princess."

"You're my lady," he corrected gently, and kissed her lips for the first time in months.

She giggled and kissed him again, quickly.

"I love you, Marinette." Adrien whispered. "I can’t wait to say that every day."

"I love you, too, Adrien." Marinette replied. "But you have to go home."

"Goodnight, bug." Adrien sighed and got up.

Nathaniel walked him to the door.

"I decided, by the way." Nathaniel informed him as he put his jacket on.

"Decided what?"

"How I feel about you." the redhead said cryptically.

Adrien was a little surprised by this. He blinked.

Nathaniel huffed and smirked.

"Goodnight, Chat Noir. See you soon."

Adrien decided to banter. Banter was good. Banter was normal.

"I look forward to it, Red." Adrien winked and smirked right back.

Nathaniel's expression faltered and Adrien turned away as he noticed the pink creeping onto the shorter man's cheeks.

For the first time in eight months, Adrien felt like his life was going well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha heres some nice easy fluffy stuff to make up for the hell i just put you through
> 
> also the first deleted scene will be here Shortly


	36. Unexpected Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group make some preparations for the baby.

"Plagg!" Marinette pulled him out of the fridge and away from her pile of camembert. "That's mine!"

"But my pile is out," the spirit complained.

"Who's fault is that?" she smirked.

"I thought you loved me," Plagg whined dramatically.

"I'm eating for two," Marinette pet her belly. "You're eating for one."

"I could have a kitten if I wanted to," he retorted.

Marinette made a face.

"We're magic," he put his flippers on his hips.

Marinette shook her head.

"I do love you Plagg," she kissed his little bulbous head.

"Yes, well," Plagg blushed and crossed his flippers. "Good."

"Has he been stealing the cheese again?" Tikki called from the couch.

"Don't worry," Marinette replied. "I stopped him."

"Who introduced you to the stuff, huh?" he grumbled in her hand.

"You say that like it's weed," Nathaniel laughed as he squeezed behind Marinette to get to the cupboard.

"With the amount he eats," Marinette chuckled. "I wouldn't be surprised if it _is_ like drugs for him."

Marinette walked over to the couch and thought before she sat down. Getting up again is hard. Deciding there was nothing she had to do, she lowered herself to the seat.

"Fuck, you're getting _really_ big, junior." she grunted with the effort.

"Not long now," Tikki smiled beside her.

"And I still have to decide on some names," Marinette sighed. "I was never good at that."

"Didn't you ask Adrien?" Nathaniel asked as he approached with a bag of M&M'S®.

"Well, I had a little list," she admitted. "But I ended up with more names I wouldn't use than ones I would."

"Which ones wouldn't you use?"

"Gabriel," Marinette's lips pursed a little. "Probably not Emilie either, if it's a girl. Sabine might be too foreign… they might tease her for it."

"What about your grandparents?" Nathaniel suggested.

"My Nonna is Gina…" Marinette considered. "Gina Agreste-Dupain-Cheng. Hmm… I don’t know, maybe."

"What will the baby look like?" Plagg asked, a strangely innocent question.

"Probably green eyes," Marinette said. "Probably black hair."

"What about Jade, then?" Nathaniel said. "For a girl. It's a gemstone and a colour and it's short and she probably won't get teased for it."

Marinette looked at him in surprise. She thought about it and smiled.

"Jade." She nodded, and her eyes sparkled. "I love it, and I think my Mama will like it too."

"What about a boy?" Tikki asked.

"I still like Paris," Plagg said, and Marinette was beginning to get suspicious of his earnestness.

"Paris?" Nathaniel raised an eyebrow.

"Well, saving Paris brought Ladybug and Chat together to begin with," Marinette fiddled with her hair. "And trying to be good to this baby brought Adrien and Marinette together."

"Paris for a boy." Nathaniel considered. "Jade for a girl. Now we've got names."

"I think Adrien will like them," Plagg said, and Marinette squinted at him.

"I like them," Tikki said.

"And to think, we wouldn't have had them if we didn't have Nathaniel."

"You give me too much credit, Mari." Nathaniel ate one of the M&M'S®.

"You're the best, Nathaniel," Marinette leant on his shoulder. "You've been so good to me."

"You deserve it." he replied simply.

And then the door opened.

"I'm home!" Adrien called.

"Welcome back," Marinette waved. "We were discussing baby names."

"Oh?" Adrien lit up. "What have we decided?"

"Paris for a boy, Jade for a girl." Marinette said.

"I love them." Adrien smiled, and kissed Marinette's forehead over the back of the couch.

"Told you," Plagg said from beside Tikki.

"How was the bank?" Nathaniel offered the bag to the blonde.

"Tiring," Adrien ate a handful of the brightly coloured candies. "I was thinking about literally anything else as they talked about loans and stuff. The whole time I'm sitting there like, 'I'm rich, guys, I don't need anyone's money but my own.'"

Everyone giggled and Adrien softened.

"But I bought it." he smiled.

"Seriously?" Marinette gaped.

"Yeah," Adrien grinned. "Nino's meeting me there in a bit, if you would like to join us."

"Alya will be here soon," Marinette frowned. "I need to talk with her about hospital plans. I'll see it another time, promise."

"I'll come," Nathaniel got up from the couch. "I wanna see where you plan to raise our child."

Adrien went a little pink in the cheeks.

===

"Dude, holy shit," Nino whispered as they walked into the building.

"It's not much, but it's got five stories and a bathroom on all the upper floors." Adrien told him.

The building was shaped like a tall cube. It was brown brick, definitely one of the newer buildings in Paris on the whole, but still old. The stairs went all the way to the roof, which meant ease of access for their superhero feats.  
Akumas were getting kind of awful to deal with lately, so that was something that could not be gone without.

Adrien had practically bought it on the spot.

"I just don't understand how you can just toss money around," Nino whistled, spinning around in the lounge area. The ceiling had carved decorations, which was fancier than some of the buildings big companies occupied.

"Most rich people don't even consider moving out of their rich parent's houses," Nathaniel commented, heading for the staircase. "You've just broken hundreds of years of rich rich-people tradition and for that, at the very least, you will always have my undying respect."

Adrien smiled shyly. He wasn't sure what it was about Nathaniel that always made him so flustered. Perhaps it was his unique way of complimenting. Perhaps it was all the oddly natural teamwork they found themselves performing in the face of Papillon's recent minions.

Perhaps it was the way the redheaded man seemed to be so steadfast, the way he was unyielding to anything except Marinette. Adrien admired his resolve, and if he was honest, he was a little afraid of it. Nathaniel was the kind of man no-one could budge with force.

Adrien and Nino followed their companion up the stairs.

"Spacious," Nathaniel put his hand on a far wall. "But, you know, Marinette and I _are_ going to repaint."

"Of course you were going to," Adrien chuckled. "Like I'd make you live in _this_ colour scheme."

The cream and white would be fine for anyone else, but Adrien was the son of a designer, Marinette _was_ a designer, Nathaniel was an artist, Alya dabbled in web design, and Nino… well, in truth, Nino was much more at home in the audio medium, but he was still used to the bright colours and flashing lights of nightclubs and the well-crafted visual atmospheres of movies and video-games, so you'd better believe he would not want boring walls.

"You're too good to us, Agreste." Nathaniel smirked and shook his head.

"You are," Nino added in earnest.

"Guys, please," Adrien threw his head back in mock drama and tossed his arms in the air. "I would buy the Eiffel Tower for you if you wanted it! Stop making me feel guilty for trying to give you things! I swear, it's only because I love you!"

"We know," Nino prodded a light switch curiously. "We love you, too, dude. We're just really not used to being given whole ass houses because you knocked up our shared girlfriend."

"Take it as the apology gift, then," Adrien elbowed him playfully. "Although, really, there's no way of knowing if she would have become our shared girlfriend if I hadn't accidentally knocked her up first."

Nino looked at him with an incredulous expression.

"Not something to be cheering yourself on for," Nathaniel reminded them as he headed up to the next floor. "You do have a point, but remember the gravity of the situation."

"All the bathrooms look exactly the same," Nino frowned as he opened the third floor bathroom door. "We're gonna be asking each other which one we left stuff in."

"We'll colour code them with shower curtains and mats." Adrien promised.

"I can imagine it now," Nino laughed, and put on falsetto to tease their girls. "'Alya, do you know where my coral lipstick is?' 'It's in the yellow bathroom.'"

Adrien chuckled.

"So, conceptually," Nathaniel said, from the top level of the spiral staircase. "Everyone just moves in… and, what, just sleeps wherever?"

"We're sharing the kitchen and living spaces, yeah," Adrien nodded. "But we don't _have_ to share rooms with one another."

"There's four rooms," Nino said. "And there'll be five adults and a baby. Some of us will have to share."

"Well, yeah," Adrien admitted. "I know Marinette would take a fixed room for her and the nursery, but I'm not interested in claiming any of the rooms as all my own space, y'know?"

Nino raised an eyebrow.

"I've slept in a giant empty room for too long." Adrien huffed and shrugged with crossed arms. "I want to share every time I sleep for the rest of my life, no matter who with. You guys can all take the other rooms if you really want to be separate."

"I was going to share with Marinette so we could have like, an art space." Nathaniel said, resting on his elbows on the staircase railing above them. "Once the baby got big enough to have its own room, at the very least."

"Alya would want her own room," Nino mused, running his hands along the carved railing. "I think maybe you and me could share, man, with all our music and game shit."

"I'd like that," Adrien smiled.

"We should go get the key moulded, then," Nathaniel came down to them. "We're going to need six of them."

"One spare," he added at their furrowed brows.

Adrien took another look at the building before he closed the door, and smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY FOR BEING LATE i have had The Worst flu the last couple of days
> 
> im Extremely worried about whether i'll have chapter 5 of the eyes written in time for saturday
> 
> oh fun fact: this chapter changed directions Twice and the second deleted scene comes off the end of this one, so thts going up in a few minutes
> 
> hhh ily all see u in a few days


	37. The Unexpected Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The thing the whole group's been preparing for manages to catch them unawares.

It was just past sunset, towards the end of the eighth month, when Marinette felt the first one. Nino was playing unreleased tracks from his laptop for her, and Alya was making coffee in their kitchen. It was a regular Tuesday night, the only difference from their usual routine being that while Nathaniel and Adrien were moving the stuff from her apartment, she was at Alya's.

When said first one struck, all she could do was open her mouth in surprise. Then there was nothing.  
Marinette had felt the usual mini-contractions over the months, but this one seemed stronger. This one seemed more urgent.

She smiled and waved lightly to signal she was fine, even if she might not be. She tried not to think about it. Which worked, actually.

Until about ten minutes later, when she realised what exactly was happening.

"Oh, fuck," she whispered and grunted with the pain.

There was a moment of stunned silence. Nino paused the music.

Then Marinette felt the wet.

"Shit," she hissed as she got up so fast she felt dizzy and hurried to the bathroom.

Nino looked to Alya and Alya dropped everything in her hands. They waited, one minute passed, and then another.

"Alya!" Marinette's strangled cry came from the bathroom and sent a shock to both their systems. "Get the keys!"

"What?!" Alya begged. "What's happened?!"

"My water just broke." Marinette appeared in the doorway, pale and bent over.

"Shit," Nino slammed his laptop closed and rushed to hold her up. "We've gotta go."

"No," Marinette croaked and looked up at him. "Alya will drive me."

"I have to be there." Nino demanded.

Alya was rushing to collect her purse and the emergency bag they'd made only three days ago, moving about with barely a sound.

"I need you to call my mom and tell her we're coming to get her." Marinette's eyes, full of fear, were trained on his own. "And then I need you to go get my boys and my dad and bring them to the hospital with you."

Marinette's pale hands clung to him, but he felt that they were weak.

"Can you do that for me, Nino?" she whimpered.

Right now she was shaking and she looked so delicate and breakable and Nino wanted to never let her go, because it felt like she would shatter the second she left his arms.

Nino didn't want to stay behind. He wanted to go with them, to do something, anything, to help her.

But what he _needed_ to do to help her was make the calls.

So that was what he would do.

"Yes," Nino swallowed.

"I will see you soon," Marinette promised, and hugged into his chest. He held her tight, and then Alya pulled her away.

Nino watched them leave, grabbed his phone and dialled as he walked around tidying the stupid lounge up.

It rang for too long. His heart pounded as he locked the windows and checked the taps.

[Hello?] came Sabine's voice from the pickup.

"Mrs Cheng?" Nino took a deep breath and patted his pockets for his valuables as he closed the front door. "Marinette's gone into labour."

===

Adrien rubbed his sweaty forehead with the back of his equally sweaty hand as he detransformed and sunk to the floor among the fifteen piles of boxes. Even though they'd carried all the stuff in as superheroes, it had taken all day, and the suits may have made them nigh-indestructible and stronger than the average human, but they didn't ward off fatigue.

Nathaniel tossed him a water bottle and he caught it without looking.

"Jesus," the redhead took a gulp from his own bottle as he watched Adrien just squirt some of the water directly into his face. "Sometimes I forget just how skilled you are."

"Don't worry, Red, you're catching up," Adrien winked, feeling distinctly Chat Noir-ish today. "You'll be this quick in no time."

Nathaniel smirked and turned to inspect the boxes.

"We can sort them tomorrow. Should we do patrol early?" he asked his blonde partner. "Get it out of the way and go see Marinette?"

"Sounds good," Adrien swallowed the rest of the water in the bottle. "Gimme a sec."

But Adrien didn't get that second, because it was then that Nino burst through the door.

"Get up," Nino growled at Adrien, gold eyes wide and face steely. It wasn't a threat, but Adrien's heart still began to speed up. "We have to go."

"What's happened?" Nathaniel demanded.

"Mari's having the baby," Nino said with a level tone that filled Nathaniel with dread. "We're going to the hospital."

"What?" Adrien blurted. "Now?"

"It's early," Nathaniel murmured, hand gripping the stomach of his shirt. "It's too early."

"Clearly, the baby thinks otherwise," Nino's hands were clenched into fists. "Come on!"

Adrien sprung up from the floor and Nathaniel rushed the entryway.

Nino slammed the door behind them and they jogged to the car, silent and terrified.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i t b e g i n s
> 
> hehehehe enjoy!
> 
> sorry im late i will be back to the regular schedule on wednesday!!!


	38. Unexpected Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien, Nathaniel, Nino and Tom wait for news.

Nino was pacing. Adrien was staring emptily at the pattern of the waiting room floor, the white speckled with flakes of blue, green and black. Nathaniel bounced his leg at a speed he never would have held if he wasn't stressed as fuck and had legs that were well accustomed to rigorous movement. Tom Dupain sat across from the two secret superheroes, occasionally glancing to the third as he walked endlessly up and down along the otherwise empty rows of seating.

The silence weighed on all of them, but none of them could muster anything to say. The only sounds were the loud, old-model air conditioner, Nino's calmingly rhythmic footsteps, and the odd shuffle of an item of clothing that echoed in the giant, cold room.

The hospital had had only a few emergency patients since they'd arrived, which was probably good in the grand scheme of things. Every time a nurse came in that wasn't there with news of Marinette, the four men only got more stressed.

This was like torture.

Tom's huge shoulders fell with saddened compassion as the front doors opened to a man with a heavily bleeding hand injury. A nurse immediately went to the new arrival.

Nathaniel took a few deep breaths. Adrien barely registered his leg stop tapping.

"How long have we been here?" the redhead asked.

"We came in at 8:13," Nino said as he passed their row. "It's 11:22. We've been here three hours."

"Alright," Nathaniel said. "Nino, go buy us all some McDonalds."

Nino's eyebrows knitted together and he was about to protest when his stomach grumbled.

Adrien's made a similar sound.

"Take my card," Adrien swallowed. "Get as much greasy shit as they'll let you buy."

He handed his wallet to Nino and Nino hesitated for a moment, looking to the doors and the network of wards beyond, but he left all the same.

"Adrien," Nathaniel whispered, and cold fingers entwined with his.

Green eyes met teal. Their faces were very close. They could see their matching exhaustion on one another's faces in intimate detail.

The exhaustion, and the fear.

Nathaniel opened his mouth to say something to him.

Adrien's pocket vibrated. He scowled at the interrupting device.

Gabriel.

"Take it." Nathaniel encouraged him. "I'll still be here when you're done."

Adrien found himself doing what Nino had done, looking into the doors to the rest of the hospital, as he stepped outside into the midnight air.

"What the fuck do _you_ want?" Adrien hissed into the phone.

[Where are you?] Gabriel asked as if Adrien hadn't said anything. [You were supposed to be home at 8.]

Adrien wanted to bash his skull into the wall of the hospital.

As with almost every conversation with his father surrounding sensitive subjects, such as Marinette and her pregnancy, he considered his options. He didn't like any of them.

"You know what?" he said finally, in complete exasperation. "I don't even care. Marinette's about to give birth and I can't bring myself to care about anything else right now."

[Marinette…] Gabriel was quiet. Unusually quiet. [Marinette is in labour already?]

"Yes," Adrien growled. "She's in the hospital with her mama and Alya. We're all waiting to hear anything but there's no news yet."

[I… I see.] the old man murmured. Adrien felt extremely uneasy.

It got worse with the next question.

[Is the father there?]

"He's here." Adrien said, but he refused to say any more than that.

There was silence.

[When the baby is born, will you tell me?]

Adrien felt sick again.

"If you absolutely must know." he said through gritted teeth.

[Thank you, Adrien.]

Silence again, and the dial tone sounded.

Adrien grunted and kicked a tree. If he'd been transformed, he'd have Cataclysmed something no-one would miss to vent his negative emotions. But Plagg and Tikki were in Marinette's hospital room, and he wouldn't jeopardize Plagg's location or Marinette's comfort or his identity just to ruin something for no reason.

He walked in and over to his companions, even more stressed than he had been when he walked out.

"Everything okay?" Nathaniel asked.

"My father," Adrien swallowed. "Has taken an interest in Marinette."

Nathaniel visibly recoiled.

Adrien agreed.

"It's fine." he whispered. "It'll be fine."

But he honestly wasn't sure.

Nathaniel sighed and brushed his fingers against Adrien's hand, a question as to whether he could hold it again. Adrien conceded.

No more words were spoken until Nino returned about three minutes later, holding two of the big brown paper bags drive-thrus gave for big orders and balancing two cardboard drinks trays of coke.

"I have sixteen burgers." Nino announced. "They wouldn’t give me any more than that." 

Adrien took back his wallet and one of the drinks. Still cold.

Tom took one of the burgers and practically swallowed it whole.

"Any news?" Nino took some long gulps of one of the drinks.

"None." Adrien groaned. "Except my father, who is suddenly very invested in Marinette's health and wellbeing."

"You told him?" Nino's eyes widened in fear. It was vague enough that Tom wouldn't realise what he was actually asking.

"No," Adrien shook his head. "I don't know what he thinks or why he cares. It's a bit scary."

"I'll say," Nino scowled and bit into a cheeseburger. "If he thinks hes gonna pull any of the shit he did to you with this kid he's got another thing coming."

"If he threatens this child in any way I will murder him and they will never find the body." Nathaniel said between mouthfuls of a chicken and cheese.

"You guys are the best," Adrien smiled gratefully and looked between them.

"You kids sure are weird," Tom said very quietly, and they all looked to him in surprise.

"Are you feeling okay, Mr. Dupain?" Nino asked him.

Tom drank some coke. He'd popped the lid and straw off and was sipping from the side of the flimsy plastic-paper cup.

"I'm worried about my girl," Tom said.

"Marinette's strong," Nathaniel smiled. "She's going to be just fine."

"And she's got all of us to help her," Adrien reassured him. "She's got us and Alya and you and Mrs Cheng. Marinette will never be alone for anything ever again."

"You don't have to worry, Mr Dupain." Nino sipped some of his own coke. "We're gonna take good care of her."

Tom's weary green eyes looked between each of them.

"I'm glad you all care for her." he sighed.

"We love her." Nathaniel nodded and scrunched the wrapper of a finished big mac. "We always have and we always will."

"This baby is going to have a great family." Tom put down the cup. 

"It already had one," Adrien said.

Tom's green eyes met his. He sighed and looked between all of them again.

"I hate to sound like a broken record," Tom said quietly. "But can you tell me who the father is?"

Nino and Nathaniel and Adrien exchanged worried glances.

"Please," Tom's voice cracked. "He should be here. Or at least be told what's happening. Who's going to sign the birth certificate?"

The boys hadn't thought about that. Nino took off his glasses and cleaned them on the hem of his shirt. Nathaniel held a worried fist to his mouth.

Adrien bit his lip, trying to think of something to say.

"Do you even know who he is?" Tom whispered, and the boys knew he was asking himself more than he was asking them. "Or has Marinette been lying to spare our feelings? What…"

Tom sighed and put his face in his hands. Seeing the big man they had all known for years look and feel so helpless made the boys decide.

"Which name do we use?" Adrien asked.

"Play it safe." Nathaniel sighed.

"Tom," Adrien beckoned him.

The baker looked up at him with profound emotion in his eyes. Nino had his eyes on the door and the nurse's station at the other end of the large room. Nathaniel glared at the doors to the rest of the hospital. Adrien took a quick precursory glance, and said, very quietly:

"The father is Chat Noir."

Tom's face opened wide in shock.

"We didn't say anything because if that information got out," Adrien continued. "Someone might come after Marinette and the baby to try to get to Chat Noir. It wasn't safe, and it's even less so now that Papillon's active again, but you deserve to know."

The boys had made sure to mention to the Dupain-Chengs that Chat Noir was active in the care of Marinette often. It was their hope that that would make it easier on them if they were to ever find out it was him that was the father, and less likely to be angry about the whole thing. It was all a big complicated mess, a mess they had been doing their best to work through for eight months, and Adrien begged the powers that be that that Tom understood that and wouldn't try to murder him in an alleyway somewhere.

Tom looked right at Adrien, and it was then that his heart began to speed up.

The older man was silent. When he spoke his next words, Adrien's heart decided it was better to stop instead.

"So, is the father here after all, then?" Tom asked him with a steady, low voice, unreadable green eyes trained upon him.

Adrien was going to die. He was going to be murdered by the father of the love of his life. He was going to miss his only child being born and growing up. He was going to rot at the bottom of the Seine until the end of time.

"They all are." Nathaniel saved him, and squeezed his hand.

Tom waited a moment, took a deep breath and nodded.

Adrien clutched his heart with his free hand and let himself breathe again. Nino put his hand gently on his back in support.

"Don't worry, son," Tom told Adrien, a smile growing slowly on his face. "I'm not mad at you."

Adrien swallowed and leant his head on Nino's shoulder, unable to say anything. Nino gave an understanding pat.

"I'm proud of all of you," Tom sighed, and it was clear that he was as tired as they were. "All of you kids. Marinette and Alya and you three... I may not completely understand how you've made all this work, but you have, and I'm proud of you."

There was a relieving silence after that, broken only by the slurping sounds of the finished cups of coke and the crinkling of paper as it was discarded.

And they sat.

They sat and they waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am SO sorry i forgot about wednesdays update i have had a Fucking Week and it has been Awful
> 
> kjfbkhb see you wednesday for sure this time i Promise


	39. The Unexpected Birth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The baby is born.

The labour lasted seven hours. That was the quickest it could possibly be, the doctor told Alya and Sabine. Marinette didn't even scream as much as Alya thought she would while she pushed. She hissed and groaned and made her bottom lip bleed and cut off the circulation to Alya's fingers in the agony, but she didn't scream.

Finally, in the eighth hour, the baby was born. Marinette, sweating and breathing heavily and unable to speak, just about immediately passed out. There was a bit more activity that Alya was thankful she didn't have a direct view of, judging by the downright sickening squelching and metallic noises, and then the doctor told her two companions that he would be checking in on her every hour, and to come and get him if anything, even the smallest thing, changed at all.

He said that Marinette was incredibly lucky. 

None of the three women got to hold the baby. The nurse took it away almost immediately. Alya spotted Tikki and Plagg floating through the doorway close to the floor, presumably going after the new arrival. She wondered if they had gone out of curiosity or a desire to watch over it. Perhaps both, she considered.

It was after five minutes that Sabine spoke.

"Alya, dear, I need to use the bathroom." she said quietly. "I'll be right back."

Alya nodded quickly. Sabine disappeared.

The red haired woman didn't know what to do. She took off her glasses and fiddled with them. Alya had been at almost every doctor's appointment with Marinette because she wanted to be prepared, but even with all that she'd learned and researched and planned and prepared herself for, she felt pretty helpless.

Alya prided herself on her wit, and her pursuit of truth in the face of adversity, and not knowing what to do kind of had her stumped. She stroked Marinette's clammy hand with her thumb.

Her best friend and the girl she loved most in all the world slept with rhythmic, shaky breaths, the sweat slowly drying.

Sabine returned.

"I'll watch her," the woman said softly. "Go give our boys an update."

Alya looked to Marinette, kissed her forehead, and got up and walked the maze of hallways. The whole place was cold and white and smelled like chemicals and metal. Distant sounds of patients shuffling and machines beeping and wheels and hinges squeaking reached her ears as she strode toward the waiting room.

When she got out, all of them were asleep except for Nathaniel. Adrien leant on his shoulder and Nino leant on Adrien's, an arrangement so cute Alya hesitated to wake them. She did take a photo, though. Tom sat across from them, snoring lightly.

"Alya!" Nathaniel choked as he noticed her.

Adrien jumped a foot in the air from the seat and Nino sucked in a breath.

"Is Marinette okay?" Nathaniel begged. He looked pale and drained. He swallowed anxiously and reached up to move his bangs out of his eye where they usually sat and tuck them behind his ear. His whole body was shaking.  
Four sets of eyes bored into her, but Alya was an experienced journalist - she didn’t get stage fright.

"Marinette is perfectly fine," Alya said.

Each of the four mean sucked in breaths in unison. Nathaniel buried his face in his hands with a nervous laugh. Adrien groaned in relief and bear-hugged Nino around the shoulders. Nino rubbed his eyes behind the rims of his glasses and sniffled with breaths of 'okay' and 'yeah' and 'thank god' and 'fuck'. Tom took deep breaths.

"And the baby?" Adrien swallowed.

"The nurses took it away," Alya shook her head. "I don't know anything about it. But they would have told us if something was wrong."

"Yeah," Adrien nodded for a few seconds too long.

"So," Alya walked over and put her arms around Nino's shoulders. He pressed his head into her side. "I don’t know if you can go in to visit her yet, but it will probably be one at a time."

"Tom should go first." Adrien said.

"I would argue that you should, Adrien," Nathaniel said. "But if you're happy to let Tom go first, then that's fine with me too."

"I'll be happy to see her at all," Nino shook his head. "Tom can go first."

"Thank you, boys." Tom shuffled in the uncomfortable plastic waiting room chairs.

"I'd better go back in." Alya sighed. "I'll text you the second we know anything."

She gave Nino and Adrien kisses and Nathaniel a hug before heading back in to her girl's side, where Sabine was singing softly in a language Alya didn't understand.

Marinette looked peaceful. Alya let herself be peaceful as well.

===

At dawn, Tom sent the boys to get breakfast and coffees and fresh air.

 **{Marinette's awake)** Came a text from Alya to Nino's phone as they went up the staircase.  
 **{they'll let you start coming in soon)**

With the coffees handed around, and two more for Alya and Sabine, they didn't wait long.

"Have we got anyone for Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" a nurse asked.

All four men stood at once.

The nurse looked between them with stunned eyes. She seemed to glance between Adrien and Tom most.

"What's the news?" Nathaniel asked.

"Visiting hours have begun," she said. "And the two ladies with Marinette should go home soon. Only one person may be in the room from here out, so I'll show one of you the way, and then leave you to it, alright?"

The boys nodded to Tom and he disappeared with the nurse and the coffees for the girls.

They waited.

They slurped their own coffees and waited.

"Do we wanna do this as a day-by-day thing?" Nino asked, squinting in the early morning sun pouring through the window wall of the emergency room. The gold light matched his eyes. "Like, someone stay till tomorrow morning, then switch?"

"Yeah." Nathaniel sighed. "As much as I want to, we can't be here forever until she's discharged."

"Nino, you'll have to take Wednesdays," Adrien said. "That’s patrol night."

"Gotcha." Nino nodded. "I'm staying tonight. I work on Fridays and Saturdays."

"I'll do Fridays." Adrien said.

"Guess I'm on Saturdays." Nathaniel nodded. "Alya on Thursdays?"

"She'll do Thursdays," Nino sipped coffee. "But Adrien should do tomorrow, too, just to let her rest."

"Sundays?" Adrien asked.

"I'll do the whole weekend." Nathaniel said. "Mondays we should let Sabine in. Alya will want Tuesdays."

He waited a moment.

"It uh… it feels nice to have something worked out."

"The silence was killing me," Adrien nudged him with his forehead. "But I didn't know what to say."

"After we see Marinette," Nathaniel squinted. "I'm going home to unpack."

"Shit," Adrien said. "Yeah, we still have to do that. But shouldn't we sleep?"

"We haven't set up the beds, chaton," Nathaniel booped his nose and giggled. Adrien thought it was the cutest thing he'd ever seen him do. Then Nathaniel instantly went silent and blank faced, and after a moment of Adrien sharing a confused glance with Nino, he spoke again. "Okay, first thing getting unpacked is the beds and we're sleeping."

"Alright," Adrien smiled incredulously.

"Okay, boys," came a very tired voice belonging to Alya.

They each looked to her in the same moment.

"I am dropping off the Dupain-Chengs and going home to my apartment to sleep." She announced. "Do you want me to get you anything?"

"No." Nino shook his head and hugged her. "Go home, rest."

"We'll see you, Alya," Adrien kissed her cheek.

And she and Marinette's parents walked away.

Nathaniel was first so that Adrien could prepare himself.

He wasn't prepared when Nathaniel came back.

His heart pounded as he walked the path Nathaniel had told him.

Marinette was sitting up in bed.

Adrien immediately embraced her.

"Hello, chaton." Marinette murmured. He had never been more relieved to hear her voice.

"Oh, god, princess," he kissed her and kissed her all over her face.

"Easy, kitty, I'm very tired," she chuckled weakly.

"Sorry." he whispered. "Have you heard anything?"

She shook her head.

"I haven't even seen the baby yet." she looked to the sheets. "I know it's alive and they've said I can hold it soon. I don’t know when I'll start making milk though."

"They haven't told you if it's a boy or a girl?"

"No," Marinette looked anxious. "We still good on the names?"

"Paris for a boy, Jade for a girl." Adrien nodded.

Marinette took a deep breath.

"What are we going to say on the birth certificate?" she asked.

There was silence.

"Put Adrien's name on it." Nino appeared.

The two superheroes almost jumped in surprise.

"Sorry," Nino came over and kissed Marinette tenderly. "I couldn't wait any longer. I had to see you."

She brushed her fingertips to his cheek.

"I don't know if I should put my name on the birth certificate," Adrien admitted.

"You're the father," Nino said, as if it was supposed to be obvious.

"I'm not the only father, though."

Nino took a deep breath and smiled.

"Dude," Nino held Marinette's hand lightly. Their entwined fingers contrasted in colour and size and roughness, and it was a sight Adrien committed to memory. "Remember what I said to Chat that night we had coffee? When we talked about marrying Marinette?"

"What?" Adrien asked, very tired.

"You signing the birth certificate isn't going to make me or Nath any less important, dude." Nino sighed. "Plus, the kid can't have all our names. Can you imagine the paperwork problems when it starts school?"

"What order would we put them in?" Marinette giggled, their favourite sound. "It would have to be alphabetical."

"Agreste-Cesaire-Cheng-Dupain-Kurtzberg-Lahiffe Junior." Adrien laughed, and bowed his head and held his hands up in defeat. "Okay, I'll… I'll sign the birth certificate."

"Sir," the nurse from earlier waved from the door. "Mlle. Dupain-Cheng should only have one visitor. One of you will have to leave."

"I'll go." Adrien kissed Marinette again. "Take care of her, Nino."

"Always." Nino said.

As Adrien stepped out of the door, the nurse beckoned him to wait.

"You're the father?" she asked very quietly.

He only nodded. He didn't have the energy to speak much, and he decided to save his breath.

"Come with me." the nurse said, and led him away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy what a ride this has been
> 
> see u on saturday bebs i LOVE you ALL


	40. The Unexpected Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien goes to meet the new arrival.

Adrien followed the nurse in silence. She seemed uneasy, wherever she was leading him to. He was wary already, but it got worse when she began looking around doorways.

Finally, the nurse arrived at a door that led them into a dark room that had a large window. Beyond the window was a room full of plastic cribs.

Full of babies in plastic cribs.

"Yours is the second one from here," she pointed. "In the yellow jumpsuit."

Adrien looked over to a pale baby with thin strands of black hair. It twitched in its sleep.

"That’s your daughter." the nurse said softly.

The word 'daughter' hit him like a bolt of lightning. Adrien looked to the nurse with wide eyes.

"Jade," he squeaked out, and gasped softly as he looked back to the baby. His hand found its way to the glass.

"Oh, should that be her name?" the nurse smiled. "Jade?"

"Jade Agreste-Dupain-Cheng," Adrien murmured, unblinking.

That was his girl. His baby girl. His and Marinette's baby girl. His and Marinette's and Nino's and Alya's and Nathaniel's baby girl.

He wanted to hold her tight and softly kiss her very small forehead.

"I can make the birth certificate now, Mr…" the nurse raised an eyebrow.

"Agreste," said Adrien. "Adrien Agreste."

"The mother should be the first to hold the baby, but I can roll her up to the window if you like," the nurse had her eye on the door.

"Please," Adrien croaked. "Please."

The nurse went through a door Adrien hadn't noticed. She pushed the plastic crib toward the window from its place in the rows.

Adrien stared with both his hands on the glass. All he could think about was this baby, this little girl. Images flashed through his mind of the nursery they would build for her and the toys they would buy her and the nights they would spend holding her and maybe they would have more babies. They would be a big happy family, and Adrien wanted nothing more in his whole life.

His hand slid down the glass and made a noise.

This woke the baby.

Adrien found himself looking into a pair of eyes he had seen in the mirror every day of his life.

His heart stopped beating.

The baby didn't move. She looked right at him. She wrinkled her little nose and pouted and her green eyes squinted at him, and it was exactly like the face that his lady used to make at his stupid jokes years ago.

There was no way Jade knew what kind of face she was making, that she was communicating to him in a way she'd never remember or understand, but Adrien knew, and he understood, and it filled his soul to the brim with joy. He couldn't stop the grin that split across his face.

The nurse rolled the baby back to her place.

Adrien thanked her four times.

===

Adrien walked back to the room Marinette was in, still smiling like an idiot, and gave her and Nino bug hugs and passionate kisses that left them both blushing hard.

"Adrien?" Marinette looked to Nino, who had been struck speechless. "Whh-what's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

" _We have a daughter_ ," he whispered excitedly. " _And she has green eyes and your face and I love her and I love you so much._ "

Marinette's face opened up wide. He had stunned her.

"I should go before the nurses get mad again." he whispered and kissed her again about five times. He gave Nino another one for good luck and his best friend just got more flustered in reply.

"Love you!" he winked and dashed down the hall.

"Told you Chat meant it that morning," Marinette told Nino.

She had intended to be teasing, but they were both too stunned by their excited partner. Nino buried his face in his hands.

Adrien practically tackled Nathaniel in the waiting room.

"Jesus," Nathaniel wheezed as Adrien lifted him off the floor with his hug. "Fuck, Adrien, please, put me down."

"Sorry," Adrien buzzed and nuzzled Nathaniel's cheek. "Sorry, I'm just… sorry."

"You still haven't put me down." Nathaniel grumbled, but he smiled anyway. The joy was pretty contagious.

"I don’t want to." Adrien confessed and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"People are starting to stare, Agreste," Nathaniel whispered as his cheeks pinked. One of the nurses at emergency reception was eyeing them curiously.

"Let's go home." Adrien squeezed his hug tighter.

"Adrien," Nathaniel choked. "I can't get home if you crush my fucking ribcage."

Adrien put down his partner.

"Sorry," he whispered, grin faltering.

" _God_." Nathaniel huffed and put a hand to his chest as he walked to the doors. "C'mon, sunshine."

"Can I at least hold your hand?" Adrien fiddled with his fingers, jogging to catch up.

"How am I supposed to use the yoyo if you do that?" Nathaniel teased.

Adrien's shoulders slumped and he looked away.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Nathaniel whispered, taking Adrien's ring hand in his own and tugging him down to kiss his cheek tentatively. "Such a sulky cat."

Adrien blushed and let the smile curl at the edges of his lips again.

"Let's find somewhere to transform," Nathaniel said, leading him down the sidewalk.

Minutes later, they arrived on their roof.

"Home…" Chat Noir mumbled.

"What about it?" Red Beetle asked.

"Oh," Chat blinked. "I don't know, it just feels different than when I lived in the mansion, I guess?"

"Different how?" Red made for the door.

"I guess I don’t know how to say it?" They walked down the staircase. "This building feels… right, I think. The mansion always felt lonely, and Marinette's apartment was nice, but I didn't really live there."

"So, it's good, at least?" Nathaniel's teal eyes looked tiredly at him.

"Definitely." Adrien nodded.

They reached the miniature city-scape of boxes.

"Which room are we setting the bed up in?" Red Beetle asked.

"The… second floor?" Chat Noir frowned. "The… bottom one? What… do we say?"

"Either of those is fine." Red approached the mattress and the bed base that were stacked against the wall. "Have you called into work?"

"Shit," Chat replied as he reached to help. "I'll call them in a bit."

"No, find the box with the sheets," Red told him, dragging the large item effortlessly with the aid of the superhero magic. "I got this."

Chat found the box marked 'linens' and used one of his claws to slice open the tape. It was always just a tiny bit satisfying to do things like that. He smiled.

He pulled out the top pile of bedsheets and carried them upstairs. A loud thump sounded and Chat watched the mattress fall to the floor, kicking up just a little bit of dust into the sunbeams from the window.

"Gimme the sheets," a now-detransformed Nathaniel reached out for them. "Call your boss."

Adrien detransformed and went for his phone. After the brief explanation about the sudden and early birth to Nathalie, he was granted an appointment to discuss paternity leave.

By the time he was done, Nathaniel had finished making the bed and was lying face down on it in emotional and physical exhaustion. Adrien honestly agreed, but he also had far too much ecstatic energy.

Adrien chuckled and joined him by way of forceful flop that got Nathaniel a good second of air time and earned him a surprised glare. Adrien laughed.

"What made you this excited anyway?" Nathaniel shuffled around.

"Oh, shit, I didn't tell you," Adrien lit up. "We-"

Adrien's phone rang.

He rubbed his face roughly all over with his hand as he held the phone up and answered on speaker.

"Hello," Adrien growled.

[Adrien,] Gabriel's voice was soft. [How are things?]

"Marinette gave birth at, uh…" Adrien put his arm down. "Like, three-ish this morning?"

Nathaniel's fingers mingled with his, and Adrien felt him shuffle closer.

[Is she alright?]

"Marinette's alive and healthy." Adrien sighed. "And so is the baby."

[Can I ask…] the old man spoke slowly. [Was it a boy or a girl?]

"A little girl." Adrien's mood and voice both softened as he thought of his daughter.

Nathaniel, next to him, seemed to light up with the words.

"Her name is Jade."

[That's…] Gabriel said very quietly. [Wonderful news.]

"We don't know when they'll let her out." Adrien took a deep breath. "We just have to be patient."

[I see…] his practically estranged father said.

"Goodbye, then," Adrien said, eager to be rid of this conversation.

[…Yes, goodbye, Adrien.] and the dial tone sounded.

Adrien groaned and dropped his phone gently to the floor.

"You okay?" Nathaniel asked quietly.

"I hope I'm not like my dad," Adrien swallowed some air. That fear had been weighing on him for years.

"You won't be," Nathaniel put his head on Adrien's shoulder as they stared at the ceiling patterns. "You're a good man."

Adrien turned to put his face in his partner's red hair. He sighed.

"Don't worry," Nathaniel craned his neck to look at him. "I promise to kick your ass back in line if you start doing the wrong thing."

Adrien chuckled.

"What did Jade look like?" Nathaniel asked.

"She has Marinette's face and hair." Adrien closed his eyes, recalling the cutest creature he'd ever laid his eyes on. "But her eyes were my mother's."

"You're too selfless, Agreste," Nathaniel chuckled. "Can't even take credit for your own goddamn eyeballs."

Adrien blushed and rolled his head away.

"I just kinda…" he mumbled. "I kinda forgot that it was me that got Marinette pregnant."

"The fuck do you mean _forgot_?" Nathaniel questioned. "Making love to Marinette shouldn't be something that's forgettable."

"Well, we didn't know at the time, remember?" Adrien shrugged lightly and felt the way Nathaniel's head moved with his shoulder. "It was a little disconnected, and it was once, and it was a long time ago. If there wasn't the obvious evidence I'd start to believe it was another dream."

"You and Marinette only made love once?" Nathaniel asked.

"Yeah." Adrien said. "It was amazing. I'm wondering if we'll ever get to again, or if Jade means we can't."

"Do you want to?"

"Yes."

"Then you can find time." Nathaniel sighed. "Nino and Alya can babysit for a day or two and you guys can have some quality time. It'll be hard, but you can catch up on all the normal relationship stuff you missed by uh…"

Nathaniel cleared his throat.

"Speedrunning to the 'starting a family' level."

Adrien laughed.

"I like my save so far though," he said. "I've got such a sick player party."

"Are we really a party?" Nathaniel asked.

"I mean," Adrien looked at him. "I want us to be."

"I feel a little underleveled," Nathaniel admitted. "Like you four have all your rare gear and late-level weapons and I got shunted onto the same server because one of my online friends was signed in."

"You're thinking about it too much." Adrien nuzzled him. "You're a valued party member."

Nathaniel's thumb brushed against his wrist.

"Should I send you a friend request, then?" Adrien whispered.

Nathaniel went red in the cheeks.

"Sorry, was that not oka-" Adrien was interrupted with a kiss.

It felt nice. It was short.

"Request accepted," Nathaniel whispered bashfully and buried his face in Adrien's neck. "Can we go to sleep now? I've been up since yesterday morning."

Adrien rolled onto his side to embrace Nathaniel and kiss his forehead.

Sleep was a good idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the world, Jade Agreste-Dupain-Cheng
> 
> man i hope everyones ok with it being a daughter
> 
> also some adrino, some ninette, and some adrinath for the soul


	41. Unexpected Parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel shows his true colors.

Alya came over to help them unpack. She had slept as long as they had.

It took them all afternoon to sort things out, and it had even been sort of fun. Alya brought them food and made shopping lists and announced updates from Nino's phone.

Nathaniel and Adrien were glad to have her around.

Nino called Adrien at about five.

"What's up, bro?" Adrien set it to loudspeaker.

[They've asked if you're coming in today,] Nino said. [They want you to sign some stuff.]

"Oh, right," Adrien looked to his companions and Nathaniel nodded at him. "Yeah, I'll be there tonight."

[Cool, cool.] Nino sounded… distracted?

"You guys okay?" Alya asked.

[Well,] Nino sighed. [The nurse told us that your dad called the hospital, Adrien.]

Everyone's heart stopped.

"What did he want?" Nathaniel hissed.

[He asked when he could visit someone,] Nino said. [And he asked if he could know where Marinette's room was.]

"Did they tell him?"

[I don’t know.]

"I'll be there in a bit." Adrien scowled. "See you soon."

[Definitely.]

"I think I should go alone this time," Adrien looked between his companions. "Is that okay?"

"Go," Nathaniel nodded.

"We'll do what we can here." Alya hugged him. "Go to Marinette."

===

Signing paperwork was relatively simple. Adrien sat with Marinette while Nino went outside to get a coffee. They chatted and asked questions of one another, but there was an uneasiness.

The subject of his father was not one to be ignored, nor taken lightly.

"Does he know?" Marinette worried.

"I hope he just suspects we were being dumb kids," Adrien scrawled some things to buy on the back of his hand with the pen. "But I'm not confident."

"What are we going to do?" Marinette asked him. "If he knows?"

"I-" but he was cut short.

"So," a nurse announced, wheeling something into the room. "All the paperwork is complete?"

Adrien nodded and handed her the small pile.

"Great," the nurse piled the papers onto the clipboard. "So, Jade is ready to be in here with you until it's time to go home. She's doing so well."

Adrien and Marinette lit up.

"I-I can hold h-her?" Marinette stuttered out.

"Of course," the nurse smiled, and reached into the plastic crib. She handed a large bundle to Marinette. "You guys really were lucky. Premmie babies often get sick or weak, but it's almost like Jade is the healthiest baby on the planet. She might have even somehow cured the girl next to her, it was very strange."

The nurse then left them.

Jade the baby looked between her parents with wide eyes.

"Fuck," Marinette whispered. "She has your eyes…"

"I'd say they're my mother's," Adrien blushed and thought about his conversation with Nathaniel that morning, which honestly felt more like a yesterday.

Marinette gave him a look and he chuckled.

"Nathaniel gave me the same face." he smiled. "He said I should at least be able to take credit for my own eyeballs."  
Marinette laughed and Jade made the unimpressed facial expression again. Adrien's heart wrenched.

"I guess it was because it never really clicked that it was mine." Adrien mumbled. "That she was ours, that we…"

He trailed off in embarrassment.

"I don't think I would have believed it either," Marinette blushed. "If I wasn't holding the evidence. Thinking back, it just felt like every dream I ever had about you. Nice, but distant and too good to be true."

She looked only at their daughter.

"It's been a mess, huh?" she murmured.

"Yeah," Adrien said. "But we'll get through it."

Her blue eyes found his and he fell in love with them, fell in love with her, all over again.

"Together," she smiled.

Adrien leant over to kiss her.

"Whoa," Nino arrived in the doorway. "Is that…?"

"Yeah, come meet her." Marinette beckoned.

"Hey, Jade," Nino smiled.

The baby regarded him. Her face, unnaturally expressive, seemed to question him and look back to Marinette.

"This is your dad Nino," Marinette told her.

Jade looked back to their partner.

"Her eyes," Nino smiled. "They're your eyes, bro."

"I know," Adrien blushed. "God, I'm kinda glad we found out before, or they would have been a dead giveaway. You and Nath and Tom might have literally murdered me."

Nino couldn't disagree.

"Don't worry," Marinette smiled and rocked the bundle in her arms. "Maybe the next one will have someone else's eyes."

"Next one?" Adrien went bright red.

"Someone else's?" Nino started, and his glasses bounced with the movement and almost fell off his face.

"Y'know," Marinette got all flustered. "It's… y'know… a possibility…"

Visions of their house crawling with an assortment of babies they'd all have made together exploded from the back of Adrien's mind.

He tried to push away the accompanying thoughts of the various sorts of activities that would yield such results. This wasn't the time for that.

"Or, maybe not, I don't know," Marinette anxiously hid her face in the hand that wasn't holding her child. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

She was cut off by Nino.

"I would be lying if I said I didn't very much want that," he said in a monotone with a blank face that betrayed that Nino was thinking the same kinds of things Adrien had been.

"You…" Marinette looked to him. "You want that?"

"Of course I want to be a part of it..." Nino swallowed. His mouth was very dry. "This is our family, isn't it? You guys and me and Alya and Nath. If we have more kids, I definitely want a part in it."

"We _are_ a family." Marinette smiled, and Nino kissed her cheek. "We're all a family."

"One very big happy family." Adrien sighed in relief and held Nino's hand across the bed.

"Good evening," came a voice that made all of them jump and Marinette hold Jade tighter for a moment.

Gabriel Agreste stood in the doorway.

"Monsieur Agreste…" Marinette squeaked, and Adrien knew it was from fear. "Good evening."

Anger swelled in his chest, and from a glance, he could tell Nino was getting just as defensive.

"I came to see that you were doing alright," Gabriel said, almost awkwardly. "And to meet your daughter."

Every one of the three present parents resisted asking the question why.

They were scared that they already knew the answer.

"Her name is Jade," Marinette looked to the baby, who wasn't making a sound, but didn't seem to have any problems.

"May I…" Gabriel asked quietly. "May I hold her?"

Adrien wanted to yell no and transform and throw the old man through the window. But he looked to Marinette. She was the mother. She decided.

"Sure," Marinette said in grave tone with only a slight nod.

The old man reached out and took the tiny bundle in his arms. He held her so carefully, and Adrien was filled with anguish.

Nino's fingers squeezed his in reassurance.

Gabriel said nothing as he looked intently at Jade. Adrien was on edge, ready to fight in a second. The old man looked to Marinette, but he was still silent. His wrinkled blue eyes fell to the baby again, and then fixed on Adrien.

Adrien didn't like the way Gabriel was looking at him. If there was something in the gaze held any information, Adrien could fight it. But he couldn't read the old man's face, and that had him on guard.

Gabriel stared at the baby one last time. Jade responded by frowning up at him. Adrien's heart experienced a solitary moment of joy before it was drowned out by the dread.

Gabriel Agreste gave back his granddaughter.

"Thank you, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng," he murmured.

Marinette nodded and Adrien noticed her fingers grip the baby tighter.

"Oh, gracious," a short, elderly nurse poked her head in the door. "We have told you! Only one visitor at a time! Out! Out you go!"

Adrien and Nino kissed Marinette's forehead quickly and followed the old man out of the hallways.

She waved, and somehow, so did Jade.

===

Once they made it outside and down the stairs, Nino and Adrien watched, pretty much dumbfounded, as Gabriel immediately produced a cigarette from a box in his jacket and lit it.

"I didn't know you smoked?" Adrien choked, only partially on the smoke.

"I don't." Gabriel replied.

There was silence.

Nino and Adrien were extremely uncomfortable.

"I've been a fool." Gabriel growled into the night air.

"Sir?" Nino asked with more courage in his voice than he felt.

"Six years." Gabriel took a long draw. The end of the cigarette pulsed with an orange glow. "I wasted six years trying to bring back my wife. I thought nothing else mattered."

Adrien and Nino exchanged glances.

"In the hospital, the day you visited," the old man breathed out a plume of toxins, pale in the light of the streetlamp. "The moment I saw you, it struck me how you much you had grown."

Adrien didn't understand.

"You're a man," Gabriel turned his head to Adrien. "You have a love and a daughter and a home. And I should have been there for that. But I chased myths and legends and a woman who was gone instead of taking care of what I still had."

Nino was frowning.

"And it seems I have also driven you away."

Adrien said nothing.

"Your daughter looks like Emilie," the old man said, and more smoke escaped his mouth. "I cannot believe I ever let myself put her or you or Marinette in danger." 

"You…" Adrien's mind pieced the information together and he stepped backwards in fear, and Nino flinched. "You're…"

"I will never be again." Gabriel shook his head. "Never. I should never have been in the first place."

"That's not something you can just be forgiven for," Nino growled.

"I never expect you to." the old man sighed. "I will never expect anything of you, ever again, Adrien."

The old man flicked the butt of the cigarette into the drain, reached up and fiddled with something at his neck.

He held the something out to Adrien.

Adrien, against his better judgement, stepped forth and reached out to take whatever it was.

It was a purple brooch.

The butterfly miraculous.

As he looked at it in fear, Gabriel turned without word, and walked off into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only one chapter left!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> man i didnt expect this to get ANY attention so i hope it was good enough for everyone that did try to read it


	42. The Unexpected Results: The Final Instalment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang finally gets some rest.

It was only week before Jade was allowed to come home. In that time, the whole house had been decorated, everyone had been moved in, and they had tackled and conquered every legal process regarding living there.

Everyone was extremely sick of paperwork.

Despite the fact that he knew for certain that there couldn't be any more, since he himself wore Nooroo's brooch, Adrien was only just getting over his fear of akuma attacks.

"The doctors said it was weird," Marinette frowned, and Adrien tried not to look directly at her while she was breastfeeding. "Premmie babies usually take a lot more effort to be 100%, but Jade is apparently like a normal six week old."

"And she's barely more than six _days_ old," Nathaniel sipped his homemade coffee. 

"It's the miraculous," Nooroo said from his place atop the microwave, as if that wasn't a huge deal.

"What do you mean?" Adrien asked.

"I told you…" Tikki turned to them. "Every Ladybug who's had a baby had no problems."

She sighed when the three present only blinked.

"Marinette's connection to the earrings means she has some amounts of magical luck," Tikki floated to Marinette's head and sat atop it. "She wore them during most of the pregnancy, which means the magic affected the birth, and the baby, too."

This seemed to distress her humans, and Tikki shook her head.

"Marinette had a short labour and a flawless delivery." the red spirit smiled. "And Jade will be very healthy until she reaches about seven years old, when she starts school and is no longer around Marinette all the time. She will become the normal amount of healthy, but it's why she didn't cry when she was born, and how she was strong enough to leave the hospital early."

Adrien breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is it like that for all Ladybug holders?" Nathaniel asked. He hadn't surrendered the earrings yet, they'd decided to wait until Marinette was a month out of the pregnancy.

"The magical luck affects your body too," Tikki nodded. "Your connection isnt as strong yet, and you probably won't be giving birth to a baby, but you'd have absolutely no trouble getting a lover pregnant if you tried."

Nathaniel choked on his coffee and everyone at the table went red.

Tikki giggled.

"So… does my ring…" Adrien fiddled with it. "Does my ring do something like that too?"

Plagg, who was curled inside the swaddling by Jade's head, spoke up.

"Just on the subject of babies, or?" he asked for clarification.

"What, it's other stuff too?" Marinette asked. Jade had finished sucking and she was just holding her now.

"Yes, it's everything." Tikki said. "You have a little more luck in having babies, staying healthy, getting careers, finding love. Everything about your life gets a little help."

"Oh," said Marinette.

"But it's the opposite for the ring," Nooroo told them. "You have a little less luck."

"Less?" Adrien's eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes," Tikki said softly. "Things break and fall near you, thoughts don't quite click, cellphones die quicker, people find you hard to engage with for any reason at all."

Tikki's face fell a little.

"Babies are less easy to conceive." she murmured. "And even harder to keep."

"Oh." said Adrien.

"But it has never hurt you," Tikki floated for him and hugged his cheek. "And it has never hurt anyone close to you either, so don't worry."

"Everything'll be fine, kid." Plagg nuzzled Jade's tiny plump cheek.

Adrien smiled.

"We're home!" Nino called from the door.

"God, it feels good to say that," Alya discarded her purse and kissed Marinette and Jade's little forehead.

"Everything good?" Nino asked as he kissed Marinette and Adrien.

"Everything's perfect," Marinette hummed. "But I am definitely ready to sleep in a real bed again."

"Hospital mattresses are not comfy." Nathaniel agreed as he finished his coffee, still a little pink-cheeked. "Who's sleeping where?"

"I was actually hoping…" Marinette blushed. "That I might get my first cuddle pile in three months?"

"Oh, _yes, please_," Adrien begged. "I miss those so much."

"Then go put Jade down," Alya smiled. "And let's get to it."

Everybody headed up the stairs to the largest bed in the house, which would stay in the nursery until Jade didn't need supervision anymore. Marinette made her way into the nursery for the first time ever. It was yellow, with decorations and furniture in every colour. The crib was white and had a mobile she'd never seen before.

She lay Jade down and Jade, luckily, didn't fuss. Tikki and Plagg snuggled into the baby's neck.

"Do you like the mobile?" Nathaniel asked, wrapping his arms gently around her middle. "I made it."

"Really?" Marinette asked, sighing as she moved her hands to rest on his.

"It's got all our miraculouses on it," he said. "Even if she never knows… we'll be protecting her forever."

Marinette spun it lightly, and watched the fox and turtle and cat and ladybug and dragon twirl around in the air.

"I love it," she whispered. "And I love _you_ , you know that, right?"

"I'll never understand why, but I believe you." he kissed her neck where it met her shoulder. "And you know I love you more than life itself."

"Yeah, I do," Marinette chuckled.

"Stop hogging Mari, Nath." Nino complained, but quietly, so as not to disturb Jade. 

Marinette walked toward the big bed and pounced gently on him.

"Stop complaining," she teased before kissing him. Nino was caught in a moment of bliss, but Marinette was able to pull her hair out of its bun in preparation for sleep as if she wasn't distracted at all.

"Hey, Mari, do the thing." Adrien watched her intently, kneeling by the pillows.

"What thing?" she asked, leaving Nino's lips. Nino pouted, and moved into position on the sheets.

"He means the bra thing," Alya said, holding her own bra up in example.

Marinette followed the instruction and Adrien frowned at the tossed item.

"I still can't figure out how you do that." he told Marinette as she crawled towards him.

"I'll teach you how to remove my bras in due time, kitty." she replied, and he kissed her.

The five partners settled into position.

"Everyone comfy?" Marinette asked, and a chorus of hums of affirmation made the answer clear.

Marinette felt the arms of her lovers and listened to the breathing of her baby, and she realised the fear she had felt all those months ago had finally been put to rest.

She thought about what the future held for her. What job she might get, what people she might meet.

Marinette thought about her baby, her Jade, and the babies that might appear in the future. Of course, she was going back on the pill as soon as possible, she was certainly not ready for another just yet… but the thought of a baby with Nathaniel's red hair or Nino's golden eyes filled her with warmth and anticipation. Even a baby that Alya had with one of their boys, she would love as her own.

Well, it _would_ be her own. This was her family, genetics be damned, and it was everything that she wanted and needed and loved.

Things would be going really well for all of them after today, because they were together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thus ends the first fanfic i ever wrote for ml.
> 
> there'll be a sequel sometime tho


End file.
